


Underneath My Scars

by jeremybearimy5972



Series: life was a willow and it bent right to your wind [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:21:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28814838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeremybearimy5972/pseuds/jeremybearimy5972
Summary: What if Remus hadn't resigned? A re-telling of the Goblet of Fire had Remus remained as the DADA professor.Featuring Remus/Sirius and Remus & Harry (mentor/parental relationship).Updates every Sunday!
Relationships: Remus Lupin & Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: life was a willow and it bent right to your wind [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111385
Comments: 30
Kudos: 87





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of werewolf transformation-related pain

Soot sprayed from the fireplace and onto the living room carpet as Remus arrived back at his cottage by the Floo Network. He shook some of the remaining soot out of his hair as he made his way towards his kitchen, intent on procuring a cup of tea while he sat down and finally contemplated all that had happened in the past few days. 

The last few days had proven to be eventful, to say the least. One friend, presumed dead for over twelve years, was revealed to not only be alive and well but to have orchestrated the deaths of his friends. The other, presumed mass murderer and escapee from Azkaban, turned out to be innocent of the crimes he was believed to have committed. For a few shining moments, everything seemed to have fixed itself. Pettigrew would be arrested, Sirius would be acquitted, and Remus wouldn’t be alone anymore. But the universe had a different course set for that night. 

Steeping a tea bag into a cup of boiling water, Remus sat down at his kitchen table. His already neglected cottage had gone nearly ten months without its occupant and was looking rather sorry for itself. The soot from the floo littered the floor in front of the fireplace, dust had collected on nearly every surface in the room, and a rather impressive cobweb had taken up residence in one of the ceiling corners. A deep-cleaning of the cottage was in order and frankly, Remus was glad to have something to take his mind off the events of the previous days. 

After waging war against the cottage and its collection of dust, spiders, and a multitude of other wear and tear issues for the best part of a week following his return home, Remus managed to restore order to his cottage.

On account of Dumbledore’s wishes and no small amount of bribery and persuasion by those such as McGonagall or the Trio, Remus had agreed to remain in his position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the following year. Thankfully, the incident that had occurred the night Pettigrew escaped had been contained, due in large part thanks to Dumbledore preventing any so-called slips or leaks from that night. Thus, Remus’s condition was not publicized for the whole of Hogwarts or indeed the Wizarding World to know. He had fought hard to get Dumbledore to allow him to resign, but the headmaster knew better than to let the best Defense professor to have graced the classroom in a long while to leave if he had any say in it. And as headmaster, Dumbledore had quite a lot of say in the matter. 

So Remus would remain as a Hogwarts professor for the following year at least, much to the disdain of Severus Snape, who had wanted him gone from the moment he stepped foot in the castle. 

In preparation for the soon approaching fall term, Remus set to work revising and adapting his syllabi, shifting lessons around, and adding or removing curriculum based on his experiences of the last year. He knew of the plans for Hogwarts to host the Triwizard Tournament and also knew that not only the events but the excitement surrounding them would inevitably affect all of the classes at Hogwarts - from the additional students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to the Ministry officials and reporters to the tasks themselves, it was sure to be an eventful year for all involved. 

By the last week of July, it was soon approaching the full moon. It weighed heavily on Remus, feeling extremely tired and achy by the day itself. He did not, however, stay in bed where he should have been, as he was feeling anxious and restless. Thus, in a last-ditch attempt to calm his nerves in the hours before sunset, Remus found himself rummaging through old boxes in his attic. He wasn’t searching for anything in particular. He hadn’t gone through these boxes in years, as many of them contained painful memories of the past, full of fierce friends and youthful ignorance of the world ahead. But the discovery of Sirius’s innocence prompted Remus to open himself up again to some of those memories. 

Remus eventually found some old books and photographs from his and Sirius’s apartment after they had graduated from Hogwarts. He smiled softly as he remembered the trouble the two had to try to arrange and decorate the apartment, especially as Sirius feigned Shakespearean-worthy faints of exhaustion any time Remus wanted to do a task Sirius would rather have not done. It hadn’t annoyed Remus, though, as Sirius would always help eventually and just his presence had been nice enough for Remus in those days anyway. He wasn’t entirely sure why he hadn’t thrown these out when Sirius was arrested. He remembered trying to throw the lot of them out a few months after James and Lily’s deaths but had found himself unable to, choosing instead to stuff them into boxes and ignore them. 

A clattering thunk in the garden gave Remus pause and he stood to look through the attic window what could have made the sound but saw nothing. He cautiously made his way down the attic stairs, pulling his wand out as he walked towards the door. With all the shielding charms he had performed on the house, in theory, there shouldn’t be anyone or anything that could have made that noise. However, memories of the war and the constant fear of ambush arose in his mind as he prepared himself to deal with whatever might be out in the garden, even if it was only a fox or something equally innocent. He cast _lumos_ as he opened the front door, as dusk was beginning to set as the sun lowered over the horizon. He stopped just outside the door frame and pointed his wand across the garden, its light revealing nothing obvious that would have made a noise. 

A small whine came from the bush next to the door, startling Remus for a moment before he could fix his eyes on the animal. A big, black dog sat patiently in the bushes, staring at Remus much more intently than any real dog ever would. The dog stood and slipped through the gap between Remus’s legs and the doorframe. He stood gaping for a moment looking at the now empty spot where the dog had been in the bushes and where it was now sat, thumping its tail, in the middle of his living room. He shut the door quickly and closed the blinds on the windows with his wand. Assured that they would not be seen, the dog transformed back into his human form, that of Sirius Black. 

“Hey Remus,” Sirius said croakily. He cleared his throat and stood awkwardly in front of his friend, waiting for him to say something. 

Remus, however, was too busy gaping silently at him, trying to figure out why and how Sirius had arrived at his cottage. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Remus asked, having finally regained his speech. “You’re a wanted man and you decided to come here? Are you trying to get caught!?” 

Sirius stared at the floor, resembling a dog being scolded by its owner, and mumbled something incoherently. 

“What?” Remus asked frustratedly. 

“It’s the full moon tonight,” Sirius said softly. 

“Sirius, this is dangerous!” Remus exclaimed. “The Ministry of Magic, the entire Wizarding World is looking for you! You should have left the country weeks ago!” 

“I’m sorry,” Sirius apologized. “But I had to see you. I didn’t,” Sirius paused. “I didn’t want you to be alone.” 

Remus sighed, simultaneously frustrated and exhausted by his friend, not to mention the full moon in the next hour or two. He ran a weary hand over his face and looked back at Sirius, still standing rather stiffly in the center of the room. 

“Sirius,” Remus began.

“Please Remus,” Sirius interrupted. “Look I’m here now and I want to help you.”

“If you tell me to sod off tomorrow, then I will, I promise,” Sirius continued. “Just let me help tonight?” 

“I’ve been through more than enough full moons on my own Sirius,” Remus said. Sirius winced slightly at his friend’s words but knew that they were true nonetheless. More than one hundred and fifty moons had passed since Sirius’s arrest, all of which Remus had faced alone for the first time since he was fifteen. Remus was more than capable of facing one more without Sirius, he told himself. He didn’t need him there. _Didn’t he?_

“I know,” Sirius whispered faintly. “I’m sorry.”

The pair stood silent for a few moments while they waited for Remus to give his answer. It was dangerous and reckless for Sirius to have come, but he couldn’t exactly throw him out on his backside now, Remus thought to himself. 

“Fine,” Remus said finally. Sirius’s neck snapped up to look at him expectantly. “Stay tonight.” 

A small smile appeared on Sirius’s face. Remus fought the urge to smile back at him, too annoyed by his reckless actions, instead turning towards the kitchen to make a cup of tea. He offered Sirius a cup and told him to sit down, which Sirius did. The two sat quietly and drank their tea, Sirius building up the courage to start a conversation while Remus seemed intent on avoiding said conversation. 

“How long until,” Sirius’s question lingered in the air. 

“Probably an hour yet,” Remus checked his watch. “The sun’s only just begun to set.” 

“I hope Moony’s not mad at me,” Sirius deviated suddenly. Remus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 

“Why would he be mad?” Remus asked. They often referred to Remus’s transformation in the third person as Remus hated feeling connected to the wolf. 

“We got in a bit of a tiff,” Sirius explained vaguely. 

“It’ll be fine, I’m still taking the Wolfsbane Potion,” Remus said. 

“That potion Snivellus makes you?” Remus gave Sirius an unimpressed look. “When did that come around?”

“Back in the eighties, but I’ve only been taking it this past year,” Remus explained. “If I take it the week before the full moon, it allows me to keep my mind during the full moon.” 

“That’s good,” Sirius said. “So no Moony tonight?”

“No Moony,” Remus repeated. “Just me. I usually go to sleep, so you won’t exactly have much to do.”

“Dunno Remus,” Sirius said with a slight grin on his face. “Looking after a sleeping werewolf seems like a pretty tall order to me. Think I can handle that?”

Remus snorted into his cup and rolled his eyes at Sirius, glad to see some of his old personality rise to the surface. Azkaban had changed Sirius, but the grin plastered on his face was the same one he’d always had. 

“After I left, what happened at Hogwarts?” Sirius asked after a few minutes of silence, the question having weighed heavily upon his mind since he escaped the last month. 

“Not much honestly,” Remus said. “The Minister was furious that you had escaped again, but Dumbledore sent him away. The Dementors were removed. Pomfrey was able to heal Ron’s leg and Harry and Hermione were alright as well.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Sirius nodded. “I was worried that they might connect you or the kids to my escape.” 

“They didn’t, though by what I heard Snape tried his damndest to,” Sirius’s face set angrily. Remus jerked his arm as if to place his hand on Sirius’s, but thought better of it. “He didn’t, don’t worry.” 

“You’re sure?” Sirius asked. “What about your job, you weren’t...” 

Sirius obviously wanted to know if the incident had gotten Remus sacked from his job, not that there was much Sirius could do about if he had been. But he just might have strangled Snape in his sleep if he thought the bastard had cost Remus his job. 

“Sacked? No.” Remus said. “Dumbledore managed to keep the whole night under wraps, somehow.” 

“You’ll stay on as a professor then?” Sirius prompted. 

“Yeah,” Remus replied. “For the time being at least.” 

Remus avoided discussing the finer details of his own deliberations on resigning or staying after the incident and Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the Trio’s valiant efforts to get Remus to agree to stay. Maybe someday he might find the patience or willpower to tell the story to Sirius, but with the full moon only an hour or so away, he found himself without the energy to explain further. 

“That’s great Remus,” Sirius smiled genuinely at him. “You always wanted to teach. I’ll bet you’re a great professor.” 

Remus hummed at Sirius’s comment, though he wasn’t entirely sure how to continue the conversation. He could tell Sirius wanted to talk more but couldn’t think of a subject free of emotional turmoil for either of them. Remus grinned to himself when one particular memory floated to the front of his mind. 

“What’s funny?” Sirius asked. 

“Something that happened this year,” Remus said. He explained the story of the Marauder’s Map viciously insulting Snape while Harry had looked on in a mix of horror and awe, along with his hurried explanation to save the both of them from Snape’s wrath. Sirius burst out into laughter while Remus grinned broadly back at him. 

“It didn’t seriously tell him to ‘keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business’, did it?” Sirius wheezed with laughter when Remus nodded. “How the hell did he even find it, I thought Filch nicked it at the end of seventh year?” 

“I think the Weasley twins might have had something to do with that,” Remus said. “Those two give the Marauders a run for our money, I’m telling you.” 

Remus was about to tell Sirius about the infamous Boggart story but he hissed in pain suddenly, feeling sharp, stabbing pain across his body. Sirius sat up sharply and peered over to look at Remus’s watch. It was within half an hour of the transformation. Remus rubbed his neck in an attempt to ease the pain that had begun to course through his body, but it didn’t do much to help. Nothing could ease that kind of pain, not even the Wolfsbane Potion. It helped him to keep his mind, for which he was eternally grateful, but the pain of his transformation was always the same, with or without Wolfsbane. 

“Do you need to take the potion?” Remus shook his head, having already taken it earlier. 

“Where do you need to go?” Sirius asked. 

“The basement,” Remus replied. 

Remus’s body felt the all too familiar stabs of pain as he stood up to go down into the basement. Sirius quickly put their cups into the sink and helped Remus down the stairs. Sirius belatedly realized that he had no idea of what to expect of a Wolfsbane full moon versus a normal full moon. 

“Do you need any bandages?” Sirius asked. “For tomorrow morning?” 

“I shouldn’t need any,” Remus replied as he began to undress. “But they’re in the bathroom, under the sink.”

Sirius hurried back up the stairs and into the bathroom, finding the aforementioned bandages, as well as some healing potions under the sink as Remus had said. He returned to the basement, shutting the door behind him, and setting the supplies on the top steps so that he could grab them quickly the next morning if needed. When he returned down to the cellar, Remus was sitting with his back against the wall, covering himself with a blanket while he waited for the full moon to begin. 

Sirius had always hated seeing Remus in pain as a result of his condition. Pre-transformation pain varied for Remus from moon to moon; sometimes it was a dull, throbbing pain that left him aching, other times it was a sharp, stabbing pain that left him in agony, as it seemed to be this night. Despite the uncomfortableness of those pains, they were nothing in comparison to the pain during the transformation. Remus knew all too well the feeling of the excruciating pain of the transformation, like white-hot knives stabbing every inch of his skin, his bones shifting and changing, and the terrifying loss of control as the wolf took over and he lost consciousness. 

As Remus had been taking the Wolfsbane Potion that week, Sirius needn’t worry about having to control a full-fledged werewolf. But that didn’t stop Sirius looking at his friend with concern, feeling absolutely useless and wanting nothing more than to ease his pain. 

“Padfoot, now,” Remus groaned. Sirius did as he was told and turned into Padfoot. 

Remus fought the urge to cry while it happened, but he still groaned in agony, digging his nails into his palms and screwing up his eyes tight. Padfoot sat miserably in the corner and whined while watching Remus transform, frustrated and upset. When it had finally finished, Padfoot was left with an exhausted Moony who laid on the floor pitifully. Padfoot whined to get his attention and Moony gave him a small nod of the head to indicate he was alright and settled back down again. Padfoot padded over to his friend and laid down next to him. Moony had already begun to drift to sleep and the basement was full not of the growling or howls of a werewolf, but soft snores and shallow breaths. Sirius had never seen Moony like this before; he had seen angry Moony, playful Moony, hurt Moony, but never calm, sleepy Moony. He was thankful that Remus could finally have some peace of mind when he transformed, safe in the knowledge that he could control himself during a full moon. 

Padfoot didn’t sleep that night, keeping vigil over Moony as he slept on without issue. The summer sun rose early in the morning and Remus transformed back into himself, but wasn’t quite yet conscious again. Sirius turned back into himself and grabbed the blanket to cover Remus while he checked him over for any injuries, not from the wolf but the transformation itself. Remus had once dislocated his shoulder after transforming back, which James and Sirius had tried to fix themselves but eventually left it to Madam Pomfrey to fix. Thankfully, Remus seemed relatively unharmed by this full moon, simply exhausted and in need of bed rest. 

Remus managed to regain enough consciousness and strength after a few minutes for him and Sirius to make their way up the stairs and into his bedroom. Sirius tucked Remus into bed and gave him a pain-relieving potion he had found in his bathroom. 

“How’re you feeling?” Sirius handed Remus a glass of the potion. 

“I’m alright,” Remus said softly after drinking the glass’s contents. “Tired is all.” 

“Go to sleep then,” Sirius said. “Call me if you need me.” 

Remus hummed his acknowledgment and fell back asleep almost immediately. Sirius resisted the urge to brush the stray hairs out of his face or cuddle in bed next to him, choosing instead to go into the kitchen and see if he could find anything for breakfast. He made some toast and flipped through a book of Remus’s that had been laying on the kitchen table, a muggle one by the looks of it. Sirius read for a while before Remus appeared in the kitchen, showered and clothed, and looked a hell of a lot better than he had first thing that morning. 

“Morning,” Remus greeted. 

“Morning,” Sirius replied. “Feeling better?” 

“Much better, thank you,” Remus said, giving him a small smile. 

“I made some toast, I hope that’s okay?” Sirius asked. “You want some?”

“You and a toaster?” Remus asked sarcastically. “I thought we agreed years ago that you and muggle technology didn’t mix.”

“That was one time!” Sirius exclaimed. “The oven was fine in the end!”

“Correction, the oven was on fire until I extinguished it,” Remus laughed. 

“That’s an exaggeration,” Sirius grumbled. “It was a small fire.”

“Flames were literally protruding from the oven door, Sirius, that’s hardly a ‘small’ fire,” Remus grinned. 

“You put them out in the end,” Sirius replied. “Besides, look. Your precious toaster is just fine.” 

Remus rolled his eyes as he walked over to make some toast for himself while Sirius sat grinning at him. It felt comfortable, him and Sirius, ribbing at each other and laughing. It felt like how it had all those years ago when he and Sirius had lived together during the war. Well, it almost felt like that. Because they weren’t teenagers anymore, they were in their thirties, and they weren’t living together, as one was a lone werewolf professor and the other an escaped prisoner on the run. 

“Can I ask you something, Remus?” Sirius asked. Remus nodded. “Could I stay for a bit?”

When Remus didn’t give him an immediate answer, Sirius launched into an impromptu rambling explanation. 

“You don’t have to say yes, of course,” Sirius began. “It’s just that we haven’t seen each other in a while and…”

“And I need to figure out where to go to get away from the Ministry anyway and I figured you’d be better at thinking of hiding spots than I would be,” Sirius continued after a brief hesitation, having thought better of what he might have said instead. 

“I’m sorry,” Sirius began to stand from his chair. “That was a stupid question, you’ve got enough to deal with. You don’t need an escapee on your hands as well.”

Sirius gave a self-deprecating laugh as he stood from his chair, but he didn’t make it any further before Remus reached out to grab his forearm to pull him back down into his chair. 

“Sirius, sit,” Remus said softly. Sirius sat down and looked, a tad worriedly, at his friend. 

“I’m not about to kick you out,” Remus said. “You can stay tonight if you want.” 

“You sure?” Sirius asked. 

“I’m sure,” Remus replied. 

“Thanks, Remus,” Sirius smiled gratefully. Remus gave him a small smile in return. 

“Well, that was all quite sappy,” Sirius laughed in an attempt to diffuse the intimate moment. “Getting sentimental in your old age are you?” 

“You’re one to talk,” Remus laughed lightly. 

“I’m glad you’re here Sirius,” Remus said after a pause. _I missed you._

“Glad to be here,” Sirius said. _I missed you too_. 

“Well, uh,” Remus cleared his throat. “We can start looking for some secluded hiding spots later today or tomorrow if you want? There’s a library nearby I can get some maps or travel books from.” 

“It’s a da-,” Sirius began before stopping himself short. “Plan. That’s a good plan.” 

“Right,” Remus said, slightly disappointed. He would have liked to hear what Sirius had been about to say. “I’d better be off to the library then.”

“You sure you’re alright to go?” Sirius asked as Remus pulled his jacket on. He always worried about Remus’s wellbeing after the full moon. 

“I’ll be fine,” Remus said. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

“See you then,” Sirius smiled softly and waved as Remus left out his front door. 

It felt strange, Remus thought to himself, leaving his house knowing that someone would be there waiting for him when he came back. He had been annoyed at Sirius’s recklessness and lack of self-preservation, but it also gave him a reminder of the Sirius he had known when they were young. The Sirius who would enchant a motorbike to fly or attempt to fistfight the Whomping Willow on a dare from James. But better still were the memories Remus had of returning to their shared apartment to be greeted by Sirius. When they would make dinner, or if they were feeling particularly lazy order take-out, and relax in each other’s company until they went to bed. Those were the memories Remus cherished most of all, just him and Sirius together. 

He knew Sirius would have to leave soon. They couldn’t remake the home they had in that apartment, not yet. But God if Remus didn’t hope that, one day, they’d be able to have that again, to have that sense of love and security again. 

One day, he promised himself. One day, they could have that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Thank you so much for starting this series! I hope you enjoyed this chapter - I tried to make it mostly light and fluffy as it’s only the first chapter and I wanted to ease into the story. As you can probably tell, I’m setting up this story based on the idea that Remus and Sirius were a couple prior to/during the war (but are unsure as to what their relationship is now).   
> As for some information on the series as a whole, it’s basically a what if Remus hadn’t resigned story. There is a prequel of sorts (Afraid of All I Am) where I go into why Remus didn’t resign but you don’t need to read that to understand this if you don’t want to. This fic will follow the Goblet of Fire and will have a mix of book and movie scenes in it. Updates will come every Sunday and there should be about twelve chapters at the end of it.   
> I've rated this fic mature out of an abundance of caution - there won't be anything terribly graphic or detailed (violent or sexual) but there will be some parts that I write about some deeper topics. I'll update the tags as I go if needed and will warn of anything potentially triggering at the start of every chapter.   
> The title is a lyric from “hoax” by Taylor Swift. It’s a more obvious reference to Remus’s physical scars, but also a more subtle reference to the emotional ones from the war.   
> Thank you again so much for taking the time to read this and I really hope you’ll enjoy it as the story progresses! I always appreciate kudos or comments if you liked the story - I hope you all have a great day and stay safe!


	2. Chapter 2

“Finland?” Sirius said incredulously. “Why the hell would I go to Finland?”

“It’s secluded,” Remus answered. “I doubt the Ministry would go looking for you in Finland. And I hear the aurorae there are quite beautiful.” 

“Aurorae?” Sirius asked. 

“Northern lights,” Remus explained. “You really don’t know what aurorae are with a name like yours?” 

Sirius rolled his eyes and leaned back into the sofa. He and Remus were currently going through several travel books and maps attempting to find a hiding spot from the Ministry. Attempting, of course, being the operative word as Sirius had grown more and more restless at the prospect of trying to find a decent hiding place while Remus weighed the pros and cons of each option. 

“I don’t want to go to Finland,” Sirius said. 

“Why not?” Remus asked exasperated. 

“It’s cold,” Sirius answered. 

“It’s summer,” Remus said. 

“Well, it will be cold later!” Sirius grumbled. “I’d rather not freeze my arse off, thank you.” 

“Fine then,” Remus replied with a touch of frustration. “Go to Spain or Italy or France. At least it will be warm until the Ministry finds you and throws you back in Azkaban.” 

Remus picked up a stack of books and placed them on his bookshelf rather forcibly, venting his frustration out on the poor unfortunate books. He took a deep breath to calm himself before turning back to face Sirius. 

“Sirius, I want you to be somewhere nice, I do,” Remus began. “But I can’t let you risk your freedom.” 

“I know,” Sirius said quietly. “Sorry.” 

“You don’t have to apologize,” Remus said, resuming his seat on the sofa. 

“Huh,” Remus said after a few minutes of silence between the two. 

“What?” Sirius prompted. 

Remus picked up one of the remaining maps of the table and handed it to Sirius. 

“The Caribbean?” Sirius said. 

“It’s far out of the reach of the Ministry,” Remus explained. “There are hundreds of islands and it’s mostly muggles there, lots of tourists.” 

“Neither the muggle police nor any wizards will be looking for you there,” Remus said. 

“And the best part?” Remus smiled. 

“What’s that?” Sirius asked. 

“It’s warm you tosser,” Remus laughed. 

“This could work,” Sirius said, examining the map of the islands. 

“The only problem is how to smuggle you out of the country and across the Atlantic Ocean,” Remus said. 

“I’m an escaped prisoner, Remus,” Sirius raised his eyebrows. “If I can escape from the Dementors of Azkaban, I can escape a bunch of Ministry idiots.” 

“Famous last words?” Remus quipped. Sirius shoved his shoulder but laughed nonetheless. 

After much preparation and planning, along with Remus pleading with Sirius to be careful and to stay out of trouble, Sirius left Remus’s cottage the following day to make his way to the Caribbean. 

“For God’s sake, Sirius, don’t get caught,” Remus said as Sirius was leaving. “If I see a headline in the Daily Prophet that says ‘Sirius Black captured while sunbathing in the Caribbean’ or anything of the sort, I’ll throttle you myself.” 

“Oh come on Remus,” Sirius laughed. “If I’m going to be caught, I’ll be caught doing something a lot more interesting than sunbathing. ‘Sirius Black captured while surfing with a monkey’ has a much better ring to it.” 

Remus rolled his eyes while Sirius continued to grin at him. 

“Promise me you’ll be careful?” Remus pleaded. 

“Promise,” Sirius said. “And you promise not to get hurt during the full?” 

“Can’t exactly promise that,” Sirius glared at him. “But I’ll do my best.” 

“Thanks, Remus,” Sirius said. “For everything.” 

“No problem,” Remus said. 

The two stood awkwardly for a moment, not sure as to how to depart. Sirius faltered, reaching out to Remus for a moment, before thinking better of it and stepping back. 

“Alright,” Sirius cleared his throat. “I’ll let you know when I’m there, shouldn’t be more than a couple of days.” 

“Alright,” Remus repeated. 

“Well, uh, see you later then?” Sirius smiled. “Whenever that may be?” 

“Look forward to it,” Remus returned the smile. 

Sirius turned into Padfoot as Remus opened the door for him to leave. He trotted out of the garden and into the street. He turned back for a moment, barked, and wagged his tail before taking off down the street and into the distance. 

A few days after Sirius had left the cottage, Remus received an unsigned muggle postcard depicting a sunny beach attached to a beautiful, though rather irritable exotic bird. Remus was relieved that Sirius had managed to arrive safely and seemingly without the knowledge of the Ministry, though how on earth he managed it was anyone’s guess. 

As July turned into August, the cottage remained quiet and uneventful as Remus made his final preparations for returning to Hogwarts on the first of September. August’s full moon came and passed without any issues. In the final week of August, Remus was surprised, however, to receive a letter from a familiar snowy owl. 

Hedwig had flown in through an open window in the kitchen as Remus sat reading a novel. She stuck out her leg for Remus to take the letter and took the opportunity to begin nibbling on a biscuit as he read said letter. 

Harry described a dream he’d had the previous night, one involving Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew. He mentioned his scar had hurt upon waking and clearly the dream had startled him enough to reach out to Remus about it. Harry tried to minimize his anxiousness in the letter, saying that he was probably just overtired, but Remus worried about his dream all the same. Remus was glad to hear that Harry would be staying with the Weasleys and attending the Quidditch World Cup in a few days’ time, as the boy certainly deserved a break and some fun. Harry had also added a note to the bottom of his letter congratulating Remus on remaining as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, which Remus smiled at. 

Hedwig, having finished pilfering Remus’s biscuits, hooted at him impatiently, awaiting a response to return to her owner. Summoning a quill and some parchment, Remus responded to Harry’s letter, telling him to be careful and stay alert. He told Harry to write again if he had another dream before they returned to school and that he should speak to himself or Dumbledore when the term began. Remus sealed the letter and addressed it, tying it to Hedwig’s leg who hooted in thanks for the biscuits and flew back out the window and into the distance. 

News of Harry’s dream concerning Voldemort worried Remus. It couldn’t be a prophecy as Harry had seen the dream occur in real-time. He would get to speak with Harry when they returned to Hogwarts the following week and he could get more information about the dream then. For now, he wanted Harry to be able to enjoy the last few days of his summer holidays with the Weasleys. 

Of course, when it comes to Harry’s life, nothing is quite so simple as attending and enjoying a peaceful quidditch game. Only a few days after Remus received Harry’s letter, he awoke to a horrifying headline in the Daily Prophet:

_SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP_

Upon the front page, a blazing image of the Dark Mark in the sky surrounded by the smoldering ruins of the game’s campsites beneath it. Remus scanned the article for any information he could, though it was written by the highly unreliable and sensationalist journalist Rita Skeeter so credible information was hard to come by. At one point in the article, she suggested that masses of bodies had been removed from the scene, however, Remus doubted this claim; another article, by a much more reputable journalist, reported that no deaths had occurred, though there were some injuries inflicted by the rampaging Death Eaters. 

Remus hoped that Harry and the Weasleys had managed to get out without harm. He had met Arthur Weasley a couple of times during the war and the man had always seemed calm and collected, so they should have been able to escape without any damage. He contemplated sending a letter to ask if they were alright, but at that moment, an insistent tapping at the kitchen window alerted Remus to the presence of a barn owl demanding entry. He opened the window and collected the letter from the owl, who did not await a response as it disappeared as soon as Remus took the letter. 

The letter was short - Dumbledore wrote to Remus to meet with him in the afternoon of the first of September, to discuss the events of the Quidditch World Cup and what they would mean for Hogwarts’s security for the Triwizard Tournament. He assured him that Harry and the Weasleys were safe at the Burrow and would remain so until they returned to Hogwarts. 

The first of September couldn’t arrive quickly enough for Remus. He was glad, of course, to be returning to a wonderful, steady job, but he especially wanted to speak to Dumbledore about the game’s attack and return of the Death Eaters. 

Although he had traveled by the Hogwarts Express the previous year, Remus instead apparated into Hogsmeade by the early afternoon and made his way up the path to the gates of Hogwarts. 

Remus felt incredibly lucky for the ability to continue to teach at Hogwarts. After avoiding the rumored curse on the position and dodging Snape’s attempts to have him sacked, Remus was beyond grateful to be able to have a steady job and one that he loved on top of that. He wasn’t sure how long his luck would last but he would savor whatever time he could as a professor. 

The castle was rather deserted, save for the occasional ghost, as the students and most of the professors would arrive later in the day. After dropping his suitcase off in his room, Remus made his way up to the headmaster’s office. 

“Treacle tart,” Remus announced as he approached the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore’s office. It sprung aside and Remus ascended the stairwell to the office. 

“Good afternoon, Remus,” Dumbledore greeted as he sat behind his desk. “I trust you had a pleasant summer holiday?”

“Yes sir,” Remus replied, sitting down across from Dumbledore. “Though the attack on the Quidditch World Cup rather put a damper on them.” 

“Yes indeed,” Dumbledore said solemnly. “I must admit I was surprised when Cornelius informed me of the attack. Though, of course, he was not quite as concerned as I upon learning that Death Eaters had struck.” 

“I’m afraid the Minister does not wish to see the truth in front of him,” Dumbledore continued. “As you well understand, the return of the Death Eaters indicates a larger issue at hand - the return of Lord Voldemort.” 

“You believe he’s coming back?” Remus asked. 

“I do,” Dumbledore said. “The attempt to steal the Philosopher’s Stone, Pettigrew’s unmasking and escape, the attack on the Quidditch World Cup; these all indicate that Voldemort is attempting to return to full power.” 

“Which is why I asked you here today,” Dumbledore said. “Cornelius is determined to hold the Triwizard Tournament, despite my attempts to persuade him to cancel it. I fear that the events may present an opportunity for Voldemort or his Death Eaters to strike again.”

“We must take every precaution to protect the school, especially Harry,” Dumbledore said. “We must remain vigilant, careful, and aware of the dangers these events could pose.” 

“Of course,” Remus said. 

“The Ministry has denied my request to have Aurors stand guard for the duration of the tournament,” Dumbledore explained. “In addition to yourself and the other professors ensuring the safety of the students, I’ve asked Alastor Moody to act as security for the year.” 

Remus blinked in shock for a moment. 

“Alastor Moody?” Remus repeated. 

“Yes,” Dumbledore said. “As an ex-Auror, he will be more than capable of providing security.” 

“Yes, but,” Remus paused, wondering how to phrase the following sentence. “It’s been a few years since he retired. Are you sure he’s up to it?”

Remus hadn’t seen the man in years but numerous articles in the Daily Prophet over the years indicated a shift of the man’s perception of reality, to put it lightly. Mad-Eye had resigned from the Ministry a few years beforehand due to increased paranoia and plenty of stories had been printed concerning him throwing curses in every direction because of a poor rogue cat that had mistakenly jumped into his bins or something equally non-life-threatening. Mad-Eye was a brilliant Auror, but honestly, Remus wasn’t sure if the man’s sanity was entirely intact. 

“I understand your concerns,” Dumbledore answered. “But I have full faith in Alastor’s ability to secure the tournament and our students.” 

“Of course sir,” Remus said. He followed his philosophy of trusting Dumbledore’s instincts; if Dumbledore trusted Mad-Eye, he trusted Mad-Eye. 

“Wonderful,” Dumbledore clapped his hands together. “If that is all, I shall see you at the feast later tonight.” 

“There is something else,” Remus interrupted and began explaining Harry’s letter and his dream to Dumbledore. 

“His dream occurred before the attack?” Remus nodded. “That is concerning.” 

“He seemed worried in his letter,” Remus said. 

“Indeed, after a dream like that,” Dumbledore said pensively. “Talk to Harry about the dream. If he should have another, inform me immediately. These dreams should not be taken lightly, not in times such as these.” 

“I’ll talk with him as soon as I can,” Remus promised. 

“Then I will see you later tonight,” Dumbledore dismissed. “I’m sorry to end our meeting early, but I must speak with Cornelius before the feast.” 

“Of course, sir,” Remus nodded and stood from his chair. 

“Remus?” Dumbledore called out as Remus made his way out the door. 

“Sir?” Remus replied. 

“It’s good to see you,” Dumbledore said with a small smile. 

“It’s good to see you as well sir,” Remus said. 

The halls were still empty as Remus made his way down the staircase and towards his office. He passed by the Great Hall, set in preparation for the arriving students in a few hours’ time. As he walked by, however, he was ambushed by a large water balloon being dropped on his head. The cackling poltergeist, Peeves, floated above taunting him. 

“Loony loopy Lupin, loony loopy Lupin!” Peeves shouted with laughter. 

Remus pulled out his wand to get back at Peeves, but not before a screech of anger emanated from down the corridor. 

“PEEVES!” McGonagall shouted. “Come here this instant!” 

“Didn’t do nothing wrong!” Peeves cackled. “Only having a bit of fun!” 

“I demand you stop at once!” McGonagall said. “Or I shall call the Baron!” 

Peeves blew raspberries at her and sped away down the corridor. 

“Blasted menace,” McGonagall grumbled. “The ghosts decided he wouldn’t be allowed at the feast so he throws a tantrum. It’ll be a nightmare when the students arrive.” 

Remus nodded as he dried his hair and jacket with a spell. McGonagall and Peeves were constantly at war with one another, as Peeves thrived on causing trouble while McGonagall attempted to cease his terror. It was yet another chapter in the saga that was their everlasting battle for control versus chaos. 

“Sorry about that,” McGonagall said. “How are you, Remus?” 

“I’m fine,” Remus replied. 

“That’s good,” McGonagall patted his shoulder. “I’m glad to see you back.”

“Glad to be back,” Remus smiled. 

A loud crash followed by a burst of laughter interrupted their moment. McGonagall groaned in frustration. 

“Peeves, I swear,” McGonagall said. “Please excuse me while I hunt him down. I will see you at the feast later.” 

“See you then, Professor,” Remus said. 

“It’s Minerva, Remus,” McGonagall called as she walked down the corridor in search of the delinquent poltergeist. 

_Minerva_ , Remus reminded himself. Calling a former teacher their first name did not come naturally to him, especially one he respected as much as McGonagall. 

Remus returned to his office to unpack until sunset when the students began to arrive from the Hogwarts Express. He stepped into the Great Hall as the first of the students began arriving. A strong storm was underway outside, as depicted on the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, and many of the students looked thoroughly wet and annoyed as they sat down. Remus spotted Hagrid at the head table and sat down next to him. 

“Hello Hagrid,” Remus greeted. 

“Lupin!” Hagrid replied. “It’s good to see yeh!” 

“Good to see you too,” Remus smiled. “How was your summer?” 

“Ah brilliant, it was!” Hagrid said animatedly. “Got some new creatures for me classes, Blast-Ended Skrewts!” 

“What’s a Blast-Ended Skrewt?” Remus asked, having never heard of the creature before and he knew just about every wizarding creature. 

“Well, between the two of us,” Hagrid lowered his voice. “They’re a mix between Manticores and Fire Crabs.” 

“Huh,” Remus said. He wondered how Hagrid managed that combination of creatures but wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know the answer to that question. “That’s interesting.” 

“Yeah, they’re marvelous,” Hagrid continued. “Jus’ hatched a few days ago. Can’t wait for me classes to look after them.” 

“What about yer summer?” Hagrid asked. 

“Nothing terribly interesting,” Remus said. _If aiding and abetting a wanted man was nothing terribly interesting_ , Remus thought to himself. 

The Sorting paused their conversation as terrified first years awaited the sorting into their houses. Remus remembered being in their place over two decades prior, mystified and terrified at the grandness of the castle. He hadn’t felt any particular draw to the four houses, simply grateful for the opportunity to attend Hogwarts at all. He had thought Ravenclaw, maybe Hufflepuff would be a good place to lay low and live out his years at the school. But the Sorting Hat knew better, instead throwing him into Gryffindor where he thrived and flourished with the help of his friends. 

The last of the first years to be sorted signaled the start of the feast, which appeased the hoard of ravenous teenagers cold and miserable from the storm. Remus and Hagrid made small talk through dinner, discussing Hagrid’s plans for his classes that year and his hopes for his Blast-Ended Skrewts. Nearing the end of the feast, conversation had begun to die down as tiredness from the long day overtook the student population. They awaited Dumbledore’s start of term speech and his send-off to their dormitories, which he indeed rose out of his chair to do. 

“Now that we are all fed and watered,” Dumbledore began. “I have a few announcements to make.” 

“Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that all items such as Fanged Frisbees, Screaming Yo-yos, or the like are forbidden inside the castle,” Dumbledore said. 

Mr. Filch had an ever-growing and evolving list of banned items, usually prank-related, and had been waging war against any and all troublemakers in the school for decades, especially the likes of Fred and George Weasley. During their years at Hogwarts, the Marauders had almost daily run-ins with the crotchety caretaker; Mr. Filch still looked at Remus with suspicion and distaste even sixteen years after he had graduated and since become a professor. 

“It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year,” Dumbledore said. 

Uproar ensued from this announcement, most of all from the players themselves who expressed their anger using a few rather choice words and phrases. Students begrudgingly settled down after Dumbledore raised his hand for silence. 

“This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers’ time and energy,” Dumbledore said. “But I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely.” 

“I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts,” Dumbledore was cut off by a roaring crack of thunder and lightning, rain beginning to fall from the magical ceiling. A jet of red light hit the ceiling, returning it to its normal starry appearance. Everyone turned in the direction of the spellcaster. 

Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody stood stoically at the door behind the High Table, stowing his wand roughly back into his coat as he limped over to Dumbledore on account of his false metal leg. His magical eye darted all across the hall, his face looking even more grizzled than Remus remembered from the war. 

Dumbledore shook Moody’s hand as students whispered furiously to each other, some recognizing the ex-Auror, others wondering who the hell the man was. Dumbledore resumed his announcement as soon as Moody walked back to the side of the hall. 

“As I was saying,” Dumbledore said. “This year, Hogwarts has the great pleasure of hosting the Triwizard Tournament.” 

The Great Hall exploded with excitement and curiosity, for both those who knew of the tournament and those who did not. 

“The Triwizard Tournament is a legendary competition between three schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang,” Dumbledore explained. “Three champions will represent each school and said champions will face three tasks. The winner of the tournament will win the Triwizard Cup, the glory of becoming a Triwizard champion, and one thousand Galleons.” 

More excited conversation occurred at this announcement, for one thousand Galleons was one hell of a prize to motivate students to compete. Remus saw the Weasley twins talking animatedly to each other, clearly plotting their entry into the tournament, but they were soon to be disappointed. 

“Due to the advanced magic required and dangerous nature of the tasks of the tournament, the Ministry has placed an age restriction upon entering,” Dumbledore continued. “No student under the age of seventeen prior to the thirty-first of October may put forth their name for consideration.” 

Students turned mutinous at this revelation, shouting out in astonishment and outrage. Those that were mere months away from their seventeenth birthdays, like the Weasley twins, found the rule unfair and were certainly vocal in announcing their displeasure. 

“The delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will arrive in October,” Dumbledore ignored the students’ complaints. “I expect you all to extend every courtesy to our fellow participants and give your full support to our Hogwarts champion.” 

“Now, it is late and you must all be tired. Off to bed!” Dumbledore clapped his hands together and signaled for the students to go to their dormitories. 

“Kids weren’ too happy about that age limit, huh?” Hagrid said as he and Remus walked out of the Great Hall. 

“I imagine Fred and George are plotting how to get around the rule as we speak,” Remus laughed. 

“And what were that with the ceiling?” Hagrid asked. “Never seen it do that before.” 

“No, I’ve never seen that happen either,” Remus replied. 

They lingered by the doors of the Great Hall and Remus looked back at Moody, who was closely inspecting some leftover sausages from the feast. 

“Same ol’ Mad-Eye,” Hagrid said. “D’you know why he’s here?” 

“Security for the tournament,” Remus answered. 

“Ah,” Hagrid said. “Didn’ think he’d be up for that sorta thing anymore.” 

Remus nodded in agreement as they looked back at Moody. He hadn’t yet spoken to him, nor had anyone else except for Dumbledore as most were too afraid to talk to the so-named mad ex-Auror. Remus wondered what had delayed him, as the man he remembered was quite strict about punctuality and keeping to a schedule. He seemed to be making up for lost time though, as having deemed the sausages free from poison he was gulping them down, with the occasional swig from his hip flask. Whatever was in that hip flask clearly wasn’t terribly nice as Moody shuddered after taking a large swig of it. 

“Don’t he got that eye that sees out the back of his head?” Hagrid asked as they stared back at Moody. 

“Shit,” Remus swore quietly and turned back to face Hagrid. “That bloody eye.” 

They shared a laugh as he and Hagrid walked into the corridor outside the Great Hall and said their goodbyes, with Hagrid returning to his hut and Remus returning to his office. 

Remus continued unpacking and arranging some of his books and papers when he returned. Classes wouldn’t begin until the following Monday, despite the term technically beginning on the first of September, so students and teachers alike would have the weekend to prepare for the actual first day of the term. Remus had caught a few glimpses of Harry among the crowd of Gryffindors but decided against speaking to him that weekend. He would see his fourth years on Thursday and he wanted to give Harry a few days to settle in before bombarding him with questions about his dream. 

A few days’ time, Remus thought to himself. Then he can talk with Harry about the dream and hopefully, some sort of normalcy can resume. It was wishful thinking, he knew. Though he so wished they weren’t, Dumbledore’s suspicions were likely correct - Voldemort would return. Between Wormtail, Harry’s dream, the Death Eaters, it felt eerily like the calm before the storm. All they could do and must do would be to prepare for it when it finally came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wahoo, chapter two!! I know there wasn’t as much excitement in this one, as it is pretty much a filler to get to the start of term but I hope you enjoyed it all the same! I really liked writing Remus and Hagrid’s friendship, as it is my firm belief they were good friends when Remus was at Hogwarts/when he came back to teach. The next chapter will really start getting into the main plot with the start of term!   
> Also just to note, Sirius won’t necessarily be in every chapter, as Remus is teaching and obviously can’t see/talk to him all of the time, but the chapters he is in will focus mainly on the two of them. I’ll be taking Remus/Sirius rather slowly in this fic, so fair warning there are probably going to be a few times where you’ll be like “ugh just KISS ALREADY” and I’m like “,,,,no,,,” - but as this is tagged Remus/Sirius, they will obviously be together eventually haha.   
> Anyway, thank you all again so much for your support! I was totally amazed and so happy with all the kudos, bookmarks, and subscriptions you all gave! I really really appreciate it and I hope you’ll enjoy this story as it goes along! Thank you again and I hope you all have a great day!


	3. Chapter 3

The first day of classes at Hogwarts was an exciting, but chaotic affair as always. Younger students, especially first-years, were especially susceptible to losing their way or being misguided by certain troublemaking poltergeists. As he was without a class in the first period, Remus had been appointed to student-directing duty, which was no simple task. Younger and thus smaller students often became disoriented in the swarm of older students rushing to get to their classes, not to mention the vastness of the castle and its ever-changing staircases. 

“Uh, sir?” A voice called from behind Remus. He turned and saw a small clique of first-years looking around nervously and dodging out of the way of older students. 

“Do you need directions?” Remus asked. The first-year who had asked, a Gryffindor boy named Dennis if Remus recalled correctly, nodded. “Where are you going?” 

“History of Magic,” Dennis replied. 

“That’s on the first floor,” Remus pointed to the Grand Staircase. “Go up the first set of stairs and the History of Magic classroom is the last room on the left. And if you see Peeves, don’t listen to him, he’ll only want to mislead you.” 

“Thank you, sir!” Dennis said, he and his clique of first-years pushing through the swarm of students towards the staircase. 

“Easy to get lost in a castle like this,” A gravelly voice spoke, startling him for a moment. Mad-Eye stood behind him, leaning on his staff and his magical eye looking elsewhere. 

“Yes, it is,” Remus replied, holding out a hand. “It’s good to see you Mad-Eye.” 

“And you Lupin,” Mad-Eye shook his hand. “So I hear you’re teaching Defense?” 

“I started last year,” Remus said. 

“Managed to get around the curse then?” Mad-Eye said. “Can’t be too careful, Lupin. You never know when it’ll come back to get you.” 

_Same old Mad-Eye_ , Remus thought, echoing Hagrid’s words. Still paranoid as ever. 

“Yeah, well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Remus laughed lightly. 

“How have you been Mad-Eye?” Remus asked.

“Same as always,” Mad-Eye replied. He never had been one much for small talk. 

“Looking forward to the tournament?” Remus asked, genuinely curious. After all, that was the reason Dumbledore had hired him. 

“I’m only here because Dumbledore asked me,” Mad-Eye grumbled. “To stop any Death Eater bastards from causing trouble. Don’t give a damn about any blasted tournament.” 

“Right,” Remus said. 

The corridors had begun to clear out of the early morning rush of students, leaving Remus and Mad-Eye as the only occupants of the hall. Remus checked his watch, knowing that he had his first class with his first-years in the next period. 

“Well, I’d better be off,” Remus said. 

“Aye,” Mad-Eye said and started thumping off down the corridor. “See you Lupin.” 

“Bye then,” Remus said quietly as Mad-Eye was already halfway down the hall, despite his leg. 

Mad-Eye was just as gruff and aloof as Remus remembered him. The man had never been a heart-to-heart kind of person and years of peace after the end of the war clearly hadn’t changed that. He wasn’t overly interested in the tournament either, Remus presumed, considering his comment on the “blasted” tournament. 

Remus did not, however, have much time to mull over Mad-Eye’s choice of job, needing instead to focus on his classes. His N.E.W.T classes were most interrupted by the news of the Triwizard Tournament. Those who were old enough were enamored by the idea of entering the competition, while those who were slightly too young bombarded him with questions about the rules. The Weasley twins were the main perpetrators of class disruptions, as usual, though instead of their normal wisecracking they pestered Remus for information on the tournament. 

“Fred, George,” Remus smiled in amusement after the twins asked him for the eleventh time that week, the fifth time of that class alone, why there was an age restriction on the tournament and how they could enter. “I’m glad you’re interested in the tournament, but unfortunately you’re just too young.”

“But we’ll be seventeen in April!” Fred said indignantly. “Sixth years should be allowed to enter, we’re N.E.W.T. students!”

“Yeah, just because someone is a few months older that makes them a better student?” George asked sarcastically. 

“They’re not better students, they’re simply of age,” Remus replied. “I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules. You won’t be seventeen before the thirty-first of October, therefore you cannot enter.” 

Fred and George shared a devious look and dropped the subject, returning to their work. Remus almost wished they would have continued arguing as it was clear they had begun plotting something to get themselves in the competition. 

By the time Thursday arrived, Remus was eagerly awaiting the weekend. The first week of classes was one of the most stressful for students and teachers alike. But Remus was looking forward to his first class with the fourth-years, as their Defense classes had been scheduled at the end of the week, on Thursdays and Fridays. 

The fourth-years shuffled into the classroom on Thursday afternoon and took their seats as they awaited Remus’s instruction. 

“Good afternoon everyone,” Remus greeted. “I hope you all had a pleasant summer.” 

“Hey, well done on avoiding the curse Professor,” Seamus called out. “‘Specially after what happened to the last two.” 

“Thank you, Seamus,” Remus said. “Yes, unfortunately, it would seem that you’re stuck with me for the time being - until such a time that the curse decides to rear its head.” 

The class laughed at his remark, as they all enjoyed his classes and were overjoyed at finally having a knowledgeable, proficient teacher in the subject for once. 

“This year, we’ll be focusing on defensive and offensive spells,” Remus announced. “These spells are a vital part of a witch or wizard’s arsenal as they allow you to protect yourself from attack and disarm your opponent.” 

“Not dueling again?” Ron groaned from his seat. 

“In part, yes,” More groans erupted from the class. Remus knew all too well the disastrous stories of Gilderoy Lockhart’s attempts to teach the students dueling, so he didn’t blame them for being skeptical. 

“It won’t be like Professor Lockhart’s lessons, I assure you,” Remus said. “We’ll start with defensive spells to give you a basic understanding of dueling and the ability to protect yourselves, and then move onto offensive spells later in the year.” 

“For today’s lesson, we’ll begin with the Shielding Charm,” Remus continued. “ _Protego_ is one of the most useful defensive spells as it shields oneself from an oncoming spell.” 

“What we’ll be doing today is pairing up and attempting to block your partner’s spell,” Remus explained. “The offensive partner will send sparks towards the defensive partner, who in turn will attempt to block them. Once you have successfully cast _protego_ , switch sides and begin again.” 

“The offensive partner will send sparks _only_ ,” Remus said with a knowing glance to the likes of Draco Malfoy, who would undoubtedly use this opportunity to jinx his fellow students. “I don’t want anyone going to the Hospital Wing.” 

“Alright, everyone up! Pick your partner and line up on opposite sides of the room,” Remus moved the desks to the back of the room with a wave of his wand as students paired up amongst each other. 

When the students finished pairing up, they began to work on the lesson. Harry and Ron had predictably paired up with one another and both managed to cast _protego_ against the other. Dean and Seamus had caused a temporary panic when Seamus’s sparks caught a textbook and set it aflame, but Remus quickly extinguished them, allowing the pair to continue with their work. 

As Remus approached Hermione and Neville, he noticed Neville had trouble with the spell. Remus knew Neville didn’t have much faith in himself, thus affecting his confidence to cast spells, but also knew he was a good student and more than capable of casting _protego_. 

“I can’t do it,” Neville said dejectedly. “Pair up with someone else Hermione, I’m useless.” 

“You can do it, Neville,” Hermione encouraged. “And you’re not useless, don’t say that.” 

“You alright Neville?” Remus stepped in. 

“I can’t do it,” Neville repeated. “I’m trying, but nothing’s happening.” 

“That’s okay, let’s see if I can help,” Remus said. “Show me how you’re casting it.”

Neville raised his wand and waved it in a flourishing motion. Remus noticed he wasn’t focusing the spell in the direction of his opponent and was moving his wrist too much. 

“Here, adjust your grip on your wand like this,” Remus demonstrated the grip with his own wand. “When you cast _protego_ , you need to focus on blocking your opponent’s spell. Hold your wrist firmly and focus on creating a shield against the incoming spell.” 

Neville nodded and repeated the casting motion, much better this time around. 

“Very good,” Remus said. “Now try that with the spell itself. Hermione?”

Hermione raised her wand to cast the sparks as Neville prepared himself. 

“ _Vermillious!_ ” Hermione said. 

“ _Protego!_ ” Neville said with confidence. A translucent shield appeared from his wand and deflected Hermione’s sparks. He stood in shock for a moment before realizing that he’d successfully cast the spell. 

“Well done Neville!” Remus congratulated. 

“See Neville? You could do it!” Hermione said. Neville smiled softly as a blush crept up on his cheeks, not used to being congratulated for his spellcasting. 

By the end of the class period, everyone had successfully cast _protego_ a number of times, which Remus was immensely proud of. Thankfully, his students, even Draco Malfoy, had listened to him and no “accidental” spells had been cast to jinx one another. 

“Well done everyone,” Remus announced as the class period ended. “You all did wonderfully today.” 

“Tomorrow, we’ll review _protego_ again and begin on the second chapter of your textbooks,” Remus said. “Have a good rest of your day!” 

As the students filed out of the classroom, Ron and Hermione hung back by the door while Harry went up to speak with Remus. 

“Hello, Harry,” Remus smiled as he returned the desks to their original places. “You did well in class today.” 

“Thank you,” Harry replied. “I wanted to know if I could talk to you about that dream I had?” 

“Of course,” Remus said. “You haven’t had any more dreams, have you?”

“No, just the one I wrote to you about,” Harry shook his head. 

“Alright,” Remus said. “Do you want to come in on Saturday afternoon?” 

“Yeah, that works for me,” Harry said, bidding Remus goodbye before leaving with Ron and Hermione. 

Saturday afternoon arrived and Remus was reviewing some work from his second-years when Harry knocked on the door and poked his head in. 

“Hi, Professor,” Harry said. He eyed the papers on Remus’s desk. “Sorry, is this a bad time?”

“Oh no,” Remus replied, putting the papers to the side. “I was only looking them over. How are you doing?” 

“I’m fine,” Harry said. “I was a little freaked out by the dream and then the whole Death Eater attack though.” 

“Did you get out of the camp alright?” Remus asked. 

“Yeah, Mr. Weasley got us all out of there,” Harry said. “But that’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.” 

“I got split up from Ron and Hermione for a while and when I was looking for them I saw someone,” Harry explained. “He was walking around the campsite and then he cast a spell and the Dark Mark appeared in the sky.” 

“Did he see you?” Remus asked worriedly. 

“No,” Harry said. “I heard Ron and Hermione looking for me and he must have too because he ran off.” 

“Then Mr. Crouch and a bunch of other Ministry people came, I told them what I saw, and then they all ran off looking for him,” Harry said. 

“Did you get a good look at the man?” Remus asked. 

“Not really, it was too dark,” Harry replied. “His voice was deep, a bit raspy. But that’s all I know.” 

“And your dream?” Remus prompted. 

“I don’t remember all of it to be honest,” Harry said. “But Voldemort and Wormtail were planning to return him to full power and, well, plotting to kill me.” 

Remus felt his stomach lurch, not only at the mention of his traitorous ex-friend but at the casualty with which Harry mentioned a plot to kill him. 

“There was a giant snake,” Harry continued. “And a muggle as well. I think he’d been listening at the door because the door flew open and there was a flash of green light and then I woke up.” 

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Remus said solemnly. 

“Something else that happened,” Harry began. “Last year, when I was taking my Divination exam, Professor Trelawney went into this sort of trance and said that Voldemort would rise ‘greater and more terrible than ever before’ when his servant returned to him. Then Wormtail escaped.”

“I mean, what the hell is going on?” Harry asked frustratedly. 

“I won’t lie to you, Harry,” Remus said. “Dumbledore believes that Voldemort is attempting to regain his power and his followers. The Ministry doesn’t want to face that, admittedly, terrible reality, but it’s happening all the same.”

“That’s why Dumbledore asked Mad-Eye here,” Remus explained. 

“To watch out for Death Eaters?” Harry asked. “He was an Auror, right?”

“Yes, he’s been retired for a few years, but he’s still one of the most-respected Aurors of recent years,” Remus said. 

“Ron said he’s mad as a hatter,” Harry said. 

“He’s eccentric and perhaps a touch paranoid, but he’s a good wizard and an even better Auror,” Remus said. Harry still gave him a skeptical look. “I had some reservations when Dumbledore told me as well, but if Dumbledore trusts Mad-Eye, then I trust his judgment.” 

“Alright,” Harry nodded, not meeting Remus’s eyes and fiddling with the sleeves of his robes. 

“It’s okay to be worried about all this Harry,” Remus said. “It’s a heavy burden, one that I’m sorry you have to bear.” 

“I’m fine,” Harry mumbled. 

“Harry,” Remus prompted, finally getting Harry to look up. “You’re not alone. Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Sirius, myself - we want you to be safe and we want you to be happy.”

“I know,” Harry began. “I guess I just wish I didn’t have to deal with all this? It’s not like I asked to be _the boy who lived_ , I’m just me, you know?” 

“I’m sorry,” His words tugged on Remus’s heartstrings. Nobody should have to face this, notoriety because your parents were murdered and you survived. Especially not a fourteen-year-old boy. “You’re a good kid, Harry. You’re strong, smart, brave, kind. Your parents would be so proud of the person you’re becoming.” 

“You think?” Harry asked with a soft smile at the mention of his parents. 

“I’m sure of it,” Remus replied. 

“Thank you,” Harry said gratefully. “That means a lot.” 

“Do me a favor, Harry, and look after yourself,” Remus said. “Physically, of course, don’t go wandering off or getting yourself into trouble. But emotionally as well. It’s not healthy to bottle things up, so if you feel worried or overwhelmed, talk with someone. Whether that’s Ron, Hermione, Sirius, myself, or anyone else, just know that you’re not alone and that we’re all here for you.” 

“I will,” Harry promised. A slight grin crossed his face. “Might be a bit difficult to speak to Sirius though. I think he’s somewhere in the tropics, he sent me a letter with a really annoyed parrot.” 

“Not surprising, he always did like the sunshine,” Remus laughed softly. 

“I should probably go,” Harry said after glancing at a clock in Remus’s office. “I said I’d play Exploding Snap with Ron and the others tonight.” 

“Don’t keep them waiting then,” Remus smiled. 

“Thanks again, Professor, for everything,” Harry said. “See you later.” 

“Bye Harry,” Remus waved as Harry trotted down the stairs from his office and out of the classroom. 

Remus raked a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. Between Harry’s dream, the man he had seen at the Quidditch World Cup, and Trelawney’s prophecy, it spelled definite signs of Voldemort’s return to power. He would have to speak with Dumbledore about it and soon. The tournament would begin at the end of the following month, leaving precious little time to prepare against the possible infiltration or attack by the Dark Lord or his followers. Mad-Eye would be an invaluable ally in these preparations, certainly. If anyone could sniff out a Death Eater, it was Alastor Moody. 

The following two weeks of classes remained fairly uneventful. First-years were beginning to get used to the layout of the castle and students and staff had fallen back into the term routine. As the third week of classes started, the full moon began to loom over Remus. He felt more and more tired as the week progressed, though he kept up appearances with his students, continuing to teach even on the day of the full moon. 

Remus wrote up a lesson plan for his classes the following day, his second, third, and fourth years. He didn’t know who would be taking on his classes, as he and McGonagall had discussed Snape’s malicious lesson at length the previous year, which ended with her assuring Remus that Snape wouldn’t take his classes again. Perhaps one of the elective professors who didn’t have class on Thursday would take them. Whatever the outcome, Remus felt assured that Snape wouldn’t get the opportunity to repeat last year’s incident, not if McGonagall or Dumbledore had anything to do with it. 

The night of the full moon, Remus took the last of the Wolfsbane Potion and transformed as usual. Rather than stay on the hard floor of his office, he went into his room and curled up on the bed, drifting off to sleep before long. When he awoke, his body ached and he felt exhausted but he hadn’t sustained any injuries from the transformation. His body protested when he stood and walked over to the bathroom to take a shower, but the warm water helped to relax his muscles and clear his thoughts. 

Madam Pomfrey came by later in the day and made a fuss of him as she always did after the full moon. After numerous assurances that he felt fine and wasn’t hurt, she left, but not before berating him to stay in bed for the remainder of the day. 

Remus returned to his classes the following day. He wouldn’t be able to ask his second and third years how the previous day’s classes went until the next week, but he could ask his fourth-years, as they would have class again that afternoon. 

When the time came for his fourth-year class to begin, however, everyone seemed to be late. Remus checked his watch and it had been a few minutes since the class was meant to begin, but his students were yet to show up. He heard some scuffling outside the classroom door and went to investigate, finding the entire class waiting outside. 

“Why are you all waiting outside?” Remus asked. 

“Oh thank God,” Seamus said. “Thought it’d be Mad-Eye again.”

Remus furrowed his brow as the students filed into the classroom and took their seats. Mad-Eye took his classes? Why would he do that? 

“I’m sorry for missing class yesterday,” Remus said. “Though I am curious, what exactly happened yesterday to make everyone so nervous to come in?”

Everyone began speaking at once, Remus had an odd sense of déjà-vu from the time Snape taught his classes. 

“He’s completely insane,” Ron said. 

“The old codger can see out the back of his head,” Seamus said. 

“Absolutely terrifying,” Parvati said. 

“One at a time please?” Remus asked. 

“Mad-Eye came in and showed us the Unforgivable Curses,” Dean said. 

“Did you tell him we’re covering defensive spells right now, not curses?” Remus asked. 

“He didn’t just teach us about the curses, Professor,” Hermione said hotly, visibly furious from whatever had occurred the previous day. “He demonstrated them right in front of us.” 

“He did _what_?” Remus asked after a pause of complete and utter shock. 

“He used a spider to demonstrate the three Unforgivable Curses,” Hermione continued. “The Imperius, the Cruciatus, and the,” She paused. “The Killing Curse, sir.” 

There was absolute silence in the classroom as Remus attempted to make sense of what his students had told him. They were only fourth-years, for Merlin’s sake, they shouldn’t be witness to spells such as those. 

“I’m sorry you all had to see that,” Remus said. “The Unforgivable Curses are horrifically cruel spells, and certainly not ones that fourth-years should be exposed to.”

“I’ll speak with Moody and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Remus said. “Is everyone alright?”

Thankfully, the students murmured that despite the dreadful lesson, they weren’t too traumatized by the incident. Remus moved onto his lesson plan for the day, learning the spell _impedimenta_ , but kept a watchful eye on any students who seemed affected by the previous day’s lesson. Neville seemed to be most affected by it, remaining quiet and looking blankly in his notebook as Remus lectured. Remus knew why - his parents had been tortured to insanity using the Cruciatus Curse and Mad-Eye’s lesson would have opened up some of Neville’s memories and insecurities. 

As class ended, the fourth-years were in a much better mood than they had been when they arrived. While the class filed out of the classroom, Remus asked Neville to stay for a moment.

“Are you alright Neville? I imagine yesterday’s lesson wasn’t pleasant,” Remus said. 

“I’m okay,” Neville replied. “Really, I’m fine. I think Mad-Eye felt bad because he gave me this book after class.” 

He held up a book on magical water plants. Herbology was Neville’s best subject, which Mad-Eye must have found out somehow, perhaps while speaking to Professor Sprout. 

“That was nice of him,” Remus said. “But if you feel like you want to talk about it, just ask.”

“I will,” Neville said. “Thanks, Professor. See you next week.” 

Remus managed to get ahold of Mad-Eye in his office that evening and ask him why in Merlin’s name he would show fourth-years Unforgivable Curses. 

“You said you were teaching them defensive and offensive spells,” Mad-Eye said.

“They’re learning spells like _protego_ and _impedimenta_ ,” Remus said incredulously. He really didn’t understand the man’s logic sometimes. “Not the Killing Curse!” 

“They need to be prepared,” Mad-Eye replied. 

“You could have taught the spells without _showing_ them!” Remus said. “They’re only fourteen-year-olds for Merlin’s sake, Mad-Eye. They didn’t need to see a spider tortured and killed right in front of them.” 

“You’re coddling them Lupin,” Mad-Eye defended. “Death Eaters coming out of the woodwork, they need to know what they’re up against.” 

“I’m not coddling them,” Remus argued. “They don’t need to see those spells right in front of them in a classroom, it’s as simple as that.” 

“I’m surprised,” Mad-Eye said. “You joined the Order as a teenager, you’ve experienced more horror and loss in your life than most.” 

“Just because I had to grow up at a young age doesn’t mean I want my students to,” Remus said sharply. “I chose to join the Order, I chose to fight Voldemort. But I was eighteen, I was of age, and I made the choice myself. These are fourth-year students we’re talking about, they shouldn’t be exposed to curses as vile as those in their own classroom.” 

“Alright then,” Mad-Eye conceded. “If that’s what you want, I’ll stick to your lessons in the future.” 

“I trust you didn’t teach my second and third years the Unforgivables as well?” Remus asked. 

“No, I did not,” Mad-Eye replied. 

“Good,” Remus let out a sigh of relief. One traumatized class was enough, without adding another two of them. “I’ll leave you to it then.” 

Skipping dinner as he was feeling too irritable to be in the vicinity of another person, Remus returned to his room and fell on top of his bed. Mad-Eye had always been infuriatingly paranoid and vigilant against enemies, but this was going too far. 

The aggravating thing was that Mad-Eye, in a sense, was right. The threat of attack by Death Eaters or Voldemort’s return loomed over the Wizarding World, even if most were blind to it, willfully or ignorantly. His students would need to be prepared, eventually. But not fourth-years in a Thursday afternoon class and certainly not by witnessing the Unforgivable Curses performed right in front of them. Remus might have had to grow up quickly, from his condition and the war, but he’d be damned if his students had to as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’ve finally gotten into the fourth year properly! As Mad-Eye doesn’t seem to teach anything besides the unforgivable curses in the books/films, I had to try to figure out what a normal professor would do so I decided on defensive/offensive dueling magic - I think that makes the most sense for fourth years?  
> I really hope I got Harry’s voice right in this chapter - let me know what you thought! I wanted to give Remus and Harry a closer relationship in this fic, more of a mentor/parental relationship as in my opinion Remus is basically his uncle even if he’s also his professor. It always bothered me that Harry wasn’t as close with Remus after third year but hey it’s my fic so I can just go ahead and fix that.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Again I just want to say how much I appreciate all the kudos and love you’ve all given this fic! Feel free to leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts about the story so far! Stay safe and I hope you have a great day!


	4. Chapter 4

As September ended and October progressed, the excitement over the Triwizard Tournament grew more and more prominent every day. By the thirtieth of October, the day the delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were set to arrive, none of the students were able to focus on their classes, too eager about the start of the tournament. The moment classes ended for the day, students rushed out to try and get a look at the arriving delegations. McGonagall and the other heads of houses attempted to retain control over the raucous students, but trying to calm down hundreds of excited young witches and wizards was almost certainly a lost cause. 

Remus joined the hoard of students and staff awaiting the arrival of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Despite his reservations about the tournament, even he had to admit that it was quite exciting. Students were talking amongst themselves wondering how the delegations would arrive when someone pointed out an incoming object in the sky. 

An extravagantly decorated carriage, led by several winged horses, flew towards the castle and landed on the lawn outside the Entrance Hall. Only a few moments later, a grand ship emerged from the depths of the Black Lake. Students shouted in surprise and fought around each other to get better looks at the arrivals, but McGonagall announced that it was time to enter the Great Hall, much to the dismay of the students. 

As students settled into their seats, Dumbledore approached his podium at the head of the Great Hall and raised his arms for silence. 

“Good evening,” Dumbledore began. “Tonight I have the long-awaited pleasure of welcoming our friends from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons to Hogwarts.” 

“Allow me to first introduce the students of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress Madame Maxime,” Dumbledore announced. 

The blue-robe-wearing, French students entered the Great Hall and took their seats at the additional seats added to the Ravenclaw table. Their headmistress, Madame Maxime, was an exceptionally tall witch, taller than Hagrid even. She took the empty seat next to Dumbledore’s and nodded her thanks to the headmaster. 

“Let me now introduce the students of the Durmstrang Institute and their headmaster Igor Karkaroff,” Dumbledore said. 

The burly students wore thick coats as they entered the Great Hall and took their seats along the Slytherin table. Igor Karkaroff followed behind them, along with someone who prompted a flurry of excitement and disbelief. 

“Viktor Krum!?” Various students whisper-shouted. One of the youngest and most accomplished Seekers in the Wizarding World, Viktor Krum attracted many fans and admirers, which most of the Hogwarts student population seemed to be part of. 

Karkaroff and Dumbledore shook hands and returned to the head table together. The feast began and the students, from Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons, all interacted over their excitement for the tournament. 

Remus sat next to Hagrid and tried to make conversation but the gamekeeper seemed more interested in Madame Maxime, even more so than talking about his beloved Blast-Ended Skrewts. It was odd to see Hagrid interested in someone, as Remus had known the man since he was eleven and had never seen anything relationship-related from the man (unless one counted his love for his creatures). 

“Professor Dumbly-dorr,” Madame Maxime said with a heavy French accent. “My horses have traveled a long way, they will need attending to.” 

“Not to worry, Madame Maxime,” Dumbledore said. “Our gamekeeper, Hagrid, is more than capable of seeing to them.” 

Remus smirked slightly at the sight of Hagrid’s face lighting up at being mentioned to the French headmistress. 

“But you know, Monsieur Hagrid,” Madame Maxime said. “They drink only single-malt whiskey.” 

Hagrid nodded in understanding and, distracted by Madame Maxime, shoved his fork straight into the hand of Professor Flitwick, who let out a yelp of pain. Remus coughed in an attempt to cover up a snort as Flitwick yanked the fork out of his hand. 

“You idiot!” Flitwick said angrily, rubbing his hand. 

“Sorry,” Hagrid said, looking back to Madame Maxime who had since turned to speak with Karkaroff. He turned to Remus, who still had a slight smirk on his face, and elbowed him lightly. 

“It was an accident!” Hagrid mumbled. 

“Oh, I know,” Remus laughed. “You’ll need to stock up on single-malt whiskey, Hagrid. For the horses, of course.” 

A blush crept up onto Hagrid’s face as he busied himself with taking a sip of his drink, a small smile on his face as he drank it. 

The remainder of the feast continued without incident and it soon came time to announce the official start of the Triwizard Tournament. Mr. Filch had brought in a covered object and placed it in front of Dumbledore’s podium. Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch had come from the Ministry to introduce the tournament and were waiting patiently for Dumbledore to call everyone’s attention at the end of the feast. 

“The moment has come to start the Triwizard Tournament,” Dumbledore announced as everyone fell silent. “But I’d like to say a few words before we begin the proceedings.” 

“I would first like to introduce Mr. Lugo Bagman and Mr. Bartemius Crouch from the Ministry,” Dumbledore said. “They have worked tirelessly to arrange the tournament and will be joining myself, Madame Maxime, and Professor Karkaroff on the judges’ panel.” 

“As you know, three champions will be chosen, one from each school,” Dumbledore said. “These champions will be chosen by an impartial judge: the Goblet of Fire.” 

The sheet covering the object at the front of the hall flew off to reveal a stone goblet with blue flames protruding from it. 

“Those wishing to enter the tournament need only write their name on a piece of paper and drop it into the goblet,” Dumbledore explained. “You have twenty-four hours in which to enter your name, should you choose to do so. The champions will be selected tomorrow night.” 

“Be warned,” Dumbledore said. “These tasks are not for the faint of heart. If chosen, you stand alone. Make your decision carefully.” 

“Well then, I’m sure you’re all tired from such an exciting day. Off to bed!” Dumbledore smiled as he dismissed the now near ravenously eager students. 

The twenty-four-hour timeframe for which to submit one’s name caused mayhem among the students the following day. Those seventeen years old and older deliberated amongst each other whether or not to put their name in, while those too young to enter anxiously awaited to see which older students would enter. 

Dumbledore had anticipated attempted interferences from students like the Weasley twins and had drawn an age line around the goblet to prevent anyone under the age of seventeen from entering their name. Additionally, the staff took turns watching over the goblet to ensure no underage students entered. That morning, a few students had already attempted to walk across the age line but were unsuccessful. 

Remus sat grading papers at one of the tables in the Great Hall when it came to his turn to watch over the goblet. Despite many attempts, no underage student had yet managed to get across the age line, so he wasn’t particularly worried about needing to keep a hawk-eyed watch on it. 

Angelina Johnson, Cassius Warrington, and Cedric Diggory were some of the Hogwarts students who had entered their names. All of the Durmstrang students had entered their names, as had the Beauxbatons students. 

An uproar of shouts and cheers got Remus’s attention as he saw the Weasley twins burst into the Great Hall. _This should be good_ , he thought to himself. 

“Well, lads, we’ve done it!” Fred said. 

“Cooked it up just this morning!” George said. 

“It’s not going to work,” Hermione interrupted. 

“Oh yeah?” Fred smirked. 

“Why’s that Granger?” George asked. 

“You see this?” Hermione pointed to the age line. “It’s an age line, Dumbledore drew it himself.”

“So?” Fred said. 

“So, a genius like Dumbledore couldn’t possibly be fooled by a dodge as pathetically dimwitted as an aging potion,” Hermione explained. 

“Ah, but that’s why it’s so brilliant,” Fred grinned. 

“Because it’s so pathetically dimwitted,” George laughed. 

The twins stood upon a table and opened up two vials of their aging potion. They downed them and jumped over the age line and next to the goblet. Applause erupted when they weren’t immediately thrown out. Remus smirked but didn’t yet intervene as he knew what was about to happen. 

The twins dropped their pieces of paper into the goblet and it appeared to accept them. But only for a moment. Flames shot out of the cup and flung the twins backward onto the hard stone floor. To make matters worse, the goblet gave them white hair and beards in imitation of Dumbledore. 

Remus laughed softly as he walked over to the twins, who were arguing with each other as to how the potion failed. 

“I did tell you that it wouldn’t work,” Remus said. “Although I applaud your dedication.” 

“I still say the rule’s rubbish,” George said as he tugged on his newly grown beard. 

“Get yourselves to Madam Pomfrey, she’ll be able to get rid of the beards,” Remus replied. 

“I dunno, it’s kinda _growing_ on me,” Fred smirked. 

“Yeah, the thought of losing it would be _unbeard-able_ ,” George added. 

“Well, at least we know the blast didn’t addle your sense of humor,” Remus smiled and shook his head at the terrible puns. “Off to Pomfrey, the both of you.” 

The twins shuffled off in the direction of the Hospital Wing, much to the disappointment of the crowd. No further attempts to cross the age line occurred after news got out about the Weasley twins. If those troublemakers couldn’t do it, no other student had a chance at managing it. 

That evening, the students and staff reconvened in the Great Hall to await the announcement of the champions by the Goblet of Fire. Despite the extravagant feast prepared for Halloween, students were less interested in the food than they were learning who would become champions. Madame Maxime and Igor Karkaroff too sat anxiously at the head table awaiting the announcing of the champions. 

“Now,” When Dumbledore stood, silence fell upon the Great Hall immediately. “For the moment you have all been waiting for. When the champions’ names are called, I ask them to go past the staff table and into the next chamber, where they will get their instructions.” 

With a wave of his hand, the lights dimmed and the blue light of the Goblet of Fire shone in the dark. The room waited with bated breath to hear the first champion chosen. The goblet’s light turned red and spat out its first name. 

“The Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum!” Dumbledore said. Cheers erupted from his fellow Durmstrang students as Krum made his way past Dumbledore and into the chamber. Igor Karkaroff looked incredibly pleased with the results, clearly having favored his most popular and famous student to become champion. 

Moments later, the light turned red again and released the second name. 

“The Beauxbatons champion is Fleur Delacour!” Dumbledore said. Polite claps from fellow Beauxbatons students and some cheers from Hogwarts students celebrated Fleur as she too disappeared into the chamber. 

Remus shifted against the wall he was stood against to get a better look at the Goblet of Fire. The Hogwarts champion was next, one that could cause much controversy due to the rivalries between the houses. Staff and students both waited anxiously for the announcement of the Hogwarts champion. 

Finally, the light turned red once more and Dumbledore caught the name which came out. 

“The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!” Dumbledore said. Hufflepuffs jumped and cheered in celebration, as did many from other houses. Cedric was a well-liked and kind student, a champion that everyone could support. The cheers continued as Cedric made his way into the chamber, grinning broadly. 

“Excellent!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “We now have our three champions. But, in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory: the Triwizard Cup!”

Students cheered as the Triwizard Cup was revealed, but this excitement was soon marred by confusion. Remus stepped forward, brow furrowed, as he saw the flames of the Goblet of Fire act of their own accord. Dumbledore walked towards the goblet slowly as it suddenly turned red and spat out its final name. He caught it and stared at the name for a moment in shock. 

“ _Harry Potter_ ,” Dumbledore said. 

Remus felt his stomach drop. How could Harry’s name come out of the goblet? 

“What? No, that’s not possible,” Remus said in disbelief.

“No, no, no,” Hagrid echoed next to him. 

“Harry Potter!” Dumbledore called out more forcibly. 

Remus spotted Harry near the back of the Great Hall. He looked shocked, bewildered, confused, all of the above. He saw Hermione shove him out of his seat as he slowly made his way up to Dumbledore. Murmurs fluttered across the hall as Harry made his way towards the head table. All eyes were on Harry, who seemed to be desperately avoiding the accusing gaze of the entire hall. 

“Lupin,” Harry said softly as he walked past Remus. 

“Go, I’ll be there in a second,” Remus patted Harry’s shoulder in comfort. Harry nodded and continued down to the chamber. 

The Great Hall remained silent as everyone sat in shock about the supposed fourth champion. Dumbledore strode up to the head table and spoke to McGonagall quietly before turning back to the students.

“Well? Isn’t it time for you all to be in bed?” Dumbledore said irritably. 

The staff didn’t stick around to see the students off to bed, for Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Mad-Eye, Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Crouch, and Remus all hurried down into the chamber to figure out what had happened. 

“Dumbledore, wait!” Karkaroff called out. 

“ _C’est incroyable Monsieur!_ ” Madame Maxime cried. 

“Quiet!” Dumbledore said, to no avail. 

“Everything’s a conspiracy with you, huh?” Mad-Eye said to Karkaroff, who was shouting incoherently about a Hogwarts scheme. 

“I protest, I protest!” Madame Maxime said. 

“Harry,” Dumbledore said once he had reached him. “Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?”

“No sir,” Harry said honestly. 

“Did you ask an older student to put your name into the cup for you?” Dumbledore asked. 

“No sir, I didn’t,” Harry repeated. 

“But of course he is lying!” Madame Maxime shouted. 

“He’s not!” Remus defended Harry. “Dumbledore drew that age line himself. There’s no way a fourteen-year-old could cross it.” 

“This is outrageous!” Karkaroff snarled, more enraged at a supposed Hogwarts conspiracy than why Harry’s name had come out in the first place. “This is some kind of plot to give Hogwarts an advantage in the tournament. I demand that we be given a second champion as well!”

“Indeed, if Hogwarts has two champions, so should Beauxbatons!” Madame Maxime agreed. 

“It doesn’t work like that,” Crouch said, but no one was paying much attention to him at that point. 

“This isn’t about having an advantage in the tournament,” Remus interrupted. “What we need to be asking is why Harry’s name came out of the goblet at all.” 

“Aye, Lupin’s right,” Mad-Eye said. “Convenient, isn’t it?”

“Convenient?” Karkaroff repeated. 

“That Potter’s name should come out of the cup,” Mad-Eye said. “People die in this tournament, Karkaroff. Perhaps someone wanted this to happen.” 

“We all know Mad-Eye considers his morning wasted if he hasn’t discovered six plots to murder him before lunch,” Karkaroff laughed bitterly. 

“Only an exceptionally powerful Confundus Charm could have hoodwinked the Goblet of Fire,” Mad-Eye said. “Magic way beyond the talent of a fourth-year.” 

“What exactly are you suggesting Mad-Eye?” Karkaroff stood nearly nose-to-nose with Mad-Eye, but the ex-Auror didn’t flinch.

“It was once my job to think as Dark wizards do Karkaroff,” Mad-Eye growled. “Perhaps you remember?” 

“This isn’t helping Alastor!” Dumbledore interrupted, instead turning to Crouch for answers. “I’ll leave this to you, Barty.”

“The rules are absolute,” Crouch began. “The Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. Potter has no choice. He is, as of tonight, a Triwizard champion.” 

“He’s fourteen!” Remus said. “He can’t compete!” 

“He must,” Crouch said. 

Remus shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose in disbelief. It was ridiculous, allowing a fourteen-year-old to enter the tournament, binding magical contracts be damned. 

“Champions,” Crouch addressed Krum, Fleur, Cedric, and Harry. “The first task will take place on the twenty-fourth of November. You will have only your wand for the task and you may not ask for help from your professors in the meantime. Congratulations and the best of luck to you all.” 

Crouch bid the headmaster goodbye, presumably to return to the Ministry to report on this unusual turn of events. Madame Maxime and Fleur as well as Karkaroff and Krum left in a huff as soon as Crouch was gone. 

“Cedric, Harry, congratulations,” Dumbledore said. “I suggest you both go up to bed. I’m sure Gryffindor and Hufflepuff will want to celebrate.” 

Harry looked to Remus, clearly wanting to talk with him about whatever the hell had just happened. 

“I’ll walk you both to your common rooms, in case Mr. Filch is around,” Remus said, making an excuse to go with them. 

“Remus,” Dumbledore called as Remus, Cedric, and Harry went to leave the chamber. “Come up to my office as soon as you’ve finished.” 

Remus nodded as he led the two students out of the chamber and into the Great Hall. Cedric and Harry talked quietly as they walked to Hufflepuff’s common room first. Remus congratulated Cedric and bid him goodnight, prompting Harry to explode into an explanation as they walked up to Gryffindor tower. 

“Professor, I swear I didn’t put my name in the cup,” Harry said. 

“I believe you, Harry,” Remus said. “What concerns me is who did put your name in there.” 

“Do you think Moody’s right?” Harry asked. “About someone putting my name in there on purpose, hoping that I get killed?” 

“I don’t know Harry,” Remus said. “This tournament is dangerous, extraordinarily so. I think we can assume that whoever put your name in doesn’t have the best of intentions.” 

“I don’t want to do this,” Harry admitted. 

“I know,” Remus said solemnly. “I’m sorry Harry. As much as I hate to admit it, Crouch was right. The Goblet of Fire creates a binding magical contract.”

“Whoever put your name in the cup knew that,” Remus continued. “I’ll speak with Dumbledore and see if there’s anything we can do to get you out of this, but you need to be prepared in case you have to compete.” 

“In the meantime, you have to be extremely careful,” Remus said seriously. “Stay with Ron and Hermione and be cautious around those you don’t know and trust.” 

“What about the tasks, what can I do about them?” Harry asked. 

“In the past, the tasks have been kept secret until the day of the event itself,” Remus said. “They could be anything, but they’re guaranteed to test your speed, your intelligence, and your strength.” 

“I can’t do this,” Harry said with slight panic in his voice. “I don’t want to be champion, I don’t want to do these stupid tasks.” 

“I know Harry,” Remus stopped as they finally reached the Fat Lady’s portrait. “But you can do this, I know you can. You’re a strong wizard, Harry, you showed that last year when you learned the Patronus Charm. I have every faith in your abilities.” 

Harry didn’t look entirely convinced but didn’t contradict Remus either. He raked a hand through his hair and took a long, deep breath to calm himself down. 

“You should get some rest tonight,” Remus instructed. “You’ve had one hell of an evening.” 

“Yeah, I’ll say,” Harry laughed dryly. He gave the password to the Fat Lady and as the door opened, music blared from the common room. Harry winced at the loud noises, dreading the prospect of having to face his fellow, understandably excited, Gryffindors. Remus gave him a sympathetic smile and bid him good night as Harry climbed through the portrait hole. 

Remus then turned on his heel and hurried up to the headmaster’s office. Dumbledore stood over his Pensieve while he, McGonagall, Snape, and Mad-Eye discussed the night’s events. 

“Potter’s been crossing lines ever since he arrived at Hogwarts,” Snape said. “He’s determined to break the rules, it’s hardly surprising-” 

“You know as well as I that Harry didn’t put his name in the cup,” Remus interrupted as he entered the room. 

“Astonishing, Lupin, how you presume to know my own thoughts,” Snape snarled. 

“He didn’t put his name in,” Remus repeated. “He was as shocked as everyone else when his name came out.” 

“Remus is right, Severus,” Dumbledore said. “I do not believe Harry put his name in the Goblet of Fire.” 

Snape huffed in annoyance but didn’t dare contradict the headmaster. 

“A more pressing matter is at hand,” Dumbledore said. “As to who did put Harry’s name in the cup and what their intentions are.” 

“But what of the tournament?” McGonagall asked. “This can’t go on, Albus. First the Dark Mark, now this?” 

“What do you suggest Minerva?” Dumbledore replied. 

“Put an end to it!” McGonagall exclaimed. “Don’t let Potter compete!” 

“You heard Barty, the rules are clear,” Dumbledore said. 

“But he’s only fourteen!” Remus said. “The rules stated that no one under the age of seventeen could compete in the tournament. Doesn’t that break the contract?” 

“As Barty said, the Goblet of Fire creates a binding magical contract,” Dumbledore explained. “Harry was chosen as champion, in spite of his age, and therefore must compete in the tournament.” 

“The devil with Barty and his rules,” McGonagall said furiously. “And since when did you accommodate the Ministry?”

“We can’t let Harry compete,” Remus agreed. “Someone went to great lengths to make sure he would be chosen as champion and I doubt they have good intentions.” 

“Headmaster, I too find it difficult to believe this a mere coincidence,” Snape began. 

“I thought you were adamant that Harry had cheated?” Remus asked sarcastically. Snape glared at him before continuing. 

“If we are truly to discover the meaning of these events,” Snape said. “Perhaps we should, for the time being, let them unfold.” 

“ _What?!_ ” Remus was shocked by Snape’s suggestion. He knew the man didn’t like Harry, hated him in fact, but to just throw him in the deep end like that? It was ridiculous. 

“Do nothing? Offer him up as bait?” McGonagall asked incredulously. “Potter is a boy, not a piece of meat!” 

“I agree with Severus,” Dumbledore said. McGonagall threw her hands up in disbelief. “Remus, look after Harry. Alastor, keep an eye out for anything suspicious.” 

“I can do that,” Mad-Eye said. Remus nodded as well. 

McGonagall ran a weary hand over her face, a mix of fury and exhaustion upon her face. 

“Remus,” McGonagall called, motioning for him to follow her out of the office. They descended the staircase together and stood by the gargoyle in the dark, deserted corridor. 

“Have you spoken to Potter yet?” McGonagall asked. 

“We talked on the way up to Gryffindor Tower,” Remus said. “He was fairly shaken up, understandably so.”

“After an ordeal such as tonight, I would imagine so,” McGonagall said. 

“He’s worried,” Remus said. “He’s fourteen and he has to compete in challenges that adults would struggle with.” 

“It’s ludicrous,” McGonagall agreed. 

“You need to keep a watchful eye on these events Remus,” McGonagall instructed. “Look after Harry, he trusts you the most.” 

“I will,” Remus assured. 

“I fear it’s happening again,” Remus needn’t ask what McGonagall was referring to. This atmosphere of dark, foreboding anticipation had loomed over the Wizarding World back during his own Hogwarts years. While the majority of witches and wizards were yet unconscious of these threats of Voldemort’s return, they were slowly creeping up and preparing to strike. Remus hated to admit it, but Voldemort’s return was less of a question of if rather than when. 

“We’ll win,” Remus said with conviction. “We’ve no other choice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it had quite a few direct chapter/film scenes in it but I tried to incorporate Remus into them as best I could - I hope they worked out? Also I’m so sorry for the terrible beard puns from Fred and George - I saw my opportunity and I couldn’t resist 😂  
> Sirius will be making a return to the story in the next chapter! Like I said before, he won’t be in every chapter but I’m trying to put him in every other chapter (when possible, but I can promise it’ll never be more than two chapters without him).  
> One thing I forgot to mention in the last chapter is that I will be using a historically accurate full moon schedule (for the most part - for example, the full moon in September 1994 was Monday the 19th, however, I needed it to be a Thursday to fit with the DADA schedule so I tweaked it by a couple of days - I hope that makes sense!)  
> Thank you again so much for everyone who had read this and commented, given kudos, bookmarked, and/or subscribed. I’m so thankful for all of you - it makes me feel amazing that people actually like this and want to read more! I hope you all stay safe and have an amazing day!


	5. Chapter 5

The announcement that Harry and Cedric would both be Hogwarts champions caused a massive rift between the houses. Gryffindor was overjoyed at the prospect of having their own champion, while Hufflepuff was furious at having to share the attention, as they rarely got the spotlight anyway. Slytherins supported Cedric due to their hatred of Gryffindor and Ravenclaws were mixed, some supporting Cedric, others supporting Harry, and some supporting both. It was a tense atmosphere in the Great Hall and during classes in which the houses interacted. But the houses weren’t the only ones arguing with one another. 

In their first defense class since the champion selection, Remus noticed that Harry and Ron seemed distant. Ron switched seats with Hermione to sit with Neville while Hermione moved to sit with Harry. They were refusing to talk, let alone even look at one another. 

Remus guessed that the tournament had created an argument between the two friends. The majority of the school believed Harry had indeed put his name in the cup and it would seem that Ron believed so as well. Or perhaps Ron was jealous of the attention Harry was getting. As the youngest son of five older brothers, Ron wasn’t often the center of attention like Harry was. 

Harry avoided his fellow Gryffindors, except for Hermione, and ignored, or at least pretended to, the jeers from the other houses. One particularly juvenile demonstration of the school’s division came in the form of badges reading “Support Cedric Diggory” that would periodically change to “Potter Stinks” (which Remus banned from being worn during his classes). 

Remus wasn’t sure how to approach the situation. Hufflepuff was understandably peeved about being shoved out of the spotlight, but Harry hadn’t entered on purpose and shouldn’t have to face ridicule because of it. Cedric was rather gracious about it all, though his fellow housemates did not share his view that two champions meant a better chance for a Hogwarts win. 

News of Harry Potter’s entrance into the tournament was not just confined to Hogwarts. The Daily Prophet, especially Rita Skeeter, had taken the story and run with it. Articles ranged from excitement for the entrance of the boy who lived into the competition to suspicion being thrown at his motives. The news was spreading quickly, which meant that it would only be a matter of time before Sirius found out. Remus knew he would need to speak with Sirius about this and decided to send him a message the morning after Harry was chosen. 

Sirius didn’t respond to his message for two full days, worrying Remus to no end. Finally, a short, scribbled message arrived for Remus asking him to meet through the fireplace at nine o’clock in the evening. Remus paced back and forth in his office for nearly an hour that evening. As ten o’clock got closer and closer, he began to panic that something had happened to Sirius for him to miss the meeting. 

“Pst!” A disembodied voice called, jolting Remus out of his panicked visions of Sirius being dragged back to Azkaban. He turned to see Sirius’s head had appeared in the flames. 

“For fuck’s sake, Sirius,” Remus scolded. “It’s nearly ten, what took you so long?” 

“Sorry, I got distracted,” Sirius said vaguely. “What’s happening? Harry’s been chosen for the Triwizard Tournament?” 

“So it would seem,” Remus replied. “He didn’t put his name in.”

“Of course he didn’t put his name in,” Sirius said. “He’d have to have a death wish to put his name up for that tournament.” 

“And we don’t know who did put his name in,” Remus continued. 

“Someone up to no good, clearly,” Sirius growled. “Wasn’t Snivellus, was it?” 

“It wasn’t him,” Remus replied. 

“Why not?” Sirius asked. “Snape loathes Harry, it wouldn’t exactly be a shock if he did.” 

“Sirius, it wasn’t Snape,” Remus repeated. “Not with the likes of Karkaroff around.”

“ _Karkaroff?_ ” Sirius said incredulously. “He’s at Hogwarts?”

“He’s the headmaster of Durmstrang,” Remus explained. 

“He’s a bloody Death Eater is what he is!” Sirius said angrily. “What did Dumbledore say?”

“He didn’t say much at all,” Remus said. “Only that the tournament would continue as planned and Harry would have to compete. If he had any suspicions, he didn’t speak them.” 

“That’s bullshit,” Sirius rolled his eyes. “Karkaroff’s a Death Eater, there’s not a cat in hell’s chance he wasn’t involved.” 

“He would be the obvious culprit,” Remus said. 

“Would be? What do you mean?” Sirius asked. 

“Karkaroff would be the clear suspect,” Remus began. “He’s a Death Eater, he could want Harry dead to appease Voldemort.”

“But?” Sirius prompted. 

“I don’t know,” Remus replied. “He was furious when Harry’s name came out.” 

“He could have been acting,” Sirius reasoned. 

“True, but what would be his motives?” Remus asked. “He’s obsessed with Krum winning and two Hogwarts champions give him less of a chance to do so. And he would have known that by putting Harry’s name into the cup, he would be the number one suspect.” 

“That’s all well and good, Remus, but if it wasn’t him then who was it?” Sirius asked. “We can’t let Harry compete without knowing who entered him.” 

“I agree,” Remus said. “But the fact is that right now, we don’t know. All we can do is to protect him during the tournament as best we can and find the culprit as soon as possible.” 

“Have you spoken with him?” Sirius asked. 

“I did, the night he was chosen. But he hasn't been up for talking these past few days,” Remus said. “Half the school is thrilled that they have two champions and the other half is furious at Harry for supposedly stealing the tournament from Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff champion.” 

“They don’t seriously think he put his name in?” Sirius asked. 

“Unfortunately they do,” Remus replied. “Harry’s been fighting with Ron as well, which doesn’t help the situation.” 

“What’s his problem?” Sirius asked. 

“I think perhaps Ron is jealous of the attention Harry gets,” Remus said. “They’ll work themselves out, I’m sure. It’ll just take time.” 

Remus’s tone was oddly reminiscent of the many, many fights he and Sirius had had over the years. They always forgave each other after a time, even after strong words and the occasional hex had been hurled at the other. Well, nearly always. Besides the point, Remus was sure that Ron and Harry would reunite once they both had the time to calm down. 

“Is he alright?” Sirius asked. 

“He’s worried,” Remus said honestly. “He’s been thrown into a competition he didn’t want to enter. Someone is potentially out to get him. Half the school thinks he cheated to enter and he’s fighting with Ron. He’s going through a lot right now.” 

“Feel like a bloody awful godfather,” Sirius said quietly. “I should be there for him.” 

“He knows you’re there for him, Sirius, if only in spirit,” It wasn’t easy to comfort someone through the Floo Network, Remus realized. “If it means anything, I’ll make sure he stays safe, I promise.” 

“I know you will,” Sirius smiled sadly. “And don’t say if it means anything. It means a lot to me that you’re there looking after him.” 

The two paused for a moment, still on shaky ground as to where their relationship laid. The couple of meetings they’d had over the past few months had rekindled their friendship, but it couldn’t yet repair the damage that had been done to their relationship, from Sirius believing Remus was the spy to Remus believing Sirius had betrayed James and Lily. It would take much more than a few words and assurances to rebuild their relationship to where it had been fifteen years previously, if it could ever return to that place. 

“How have you been?” Remus asked, desperate for a change of subject. He wasn’t yet ready to figure out what their relationship was, nor did they have much time for such a topic after the recent series of events. 

“Fine,” Sirius replied. “The Caribbean was a good choice, nobody paid any attention to a stray dog. It was a nice break.” 

“That’s good,” Remus nodded, but then a cog turned in his brain at Sirius’s words. “What do you mean _was_?” 

“Ah,” Sirius said slowly. “This hadn’t been how I was planning to tell you.” 

“Tell me what?” Remus asked apprehensively. 

“That I’m back in the country,” Sirius said, awaiting a beratement from Remus, who instead took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. 

“You remember the conversation we had over the summer?” Remus said. “About not doing anything stupid?” 

“Must have slipped my mind,” Sirius laughed nervously. “Look, Remus, I heard the news and I couldn’t sit on my arse halfway across the globe while Harry was in danger.” 

“You haven’t been seen?” Remus skipped berating Sirius, just wanting to ensure that he was safe. 

“No,” Sirius said. “They still don’t know I’m an animagus, so they’re not looking for a big, black dog wandering across Britain.” 

“How are you using the Floo Network then?” Remus asked curiously. 

“Broke into a wizarding house,” Remus looked about to scold Sirius when he continued. “They’re on vacation, don’t worry. I’ll be gone the second we’re done.”

“Fine,” Remus rubbed his forehead, lacking the energy to argue with Sirius about his recklessness. 

“You alright?” Sirius asked. 

“Tired,” Remus said. “It’s been a long week.” 

“You look like you could do with some sleep,” Sirius said. 

“Cheers,” Remus replied sarcastically. 

“You know what I mean,” Sirius said. “You need to sleep, Remus. You’ll wear yourself out otherwise.” 

“As if I don’t already do that once a month,” Remus grumbled. Sirius glared at him. “Fine, I’ll get some rest. If you’ll promise not to get arrested on your way up here.” 

“So you’ll hold your own sleep hostage based on whether or not I’m incarcerated? You can’t do that, Remus,” Sirius admonished. 

“Then you’d better not get arrested,” Remus joked dryly. Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“Believe me, I don’t plan on it,” Sirius laughed softly. “It’s getting late, you should get to bed. Hold up your end of the bargain.” 

“Bribing me into going to sleep are we?” Remus raised his eyebrows. 

“Is it working?” Sirius asked. 

“Possibly,” Remus smiled. “I assume this means you’ll be coming up to Hogwarts then?” 

“That’s the plan,” Sirius said. “I’ll let you know when I get there.”

“I’d better get going,” Sirius said. “Don’t want the neighbors wondering why there are lights on in here. See you soon, Remus. Take care of yourself.” 

Sirius’s head left the flames of the fireplace, leaving Remus alone once more in his office. Remus kept to his word and went to bed shortly after their conversation, praying that Sirius would manage to stay under the radar of the Ministry on his journey north. The last thing Harry or Remus needed was Sirius being thrown back into Azkaban. 

The week before the first task, tension and anticipation grew to a boiling point at Hogwarts. Students eagerly awaited the tournament’s first event and were desperate to see how the champions would fare in the tasks. Staying true to his word, Crouch refused to divulge information about the first task to anyone besides Dumbledore. However, not all of the staff were in the dark about the task. 

“Excited for the first task, Hagrid?” Remus asked as he and Hagrid stood outside his hut. Hagrid was feeding his beloved Blast-Ended Skrewts, though they seemed more interested in his fingers than his treats for them. 

“‘Course I am!” Hagrid replied. “Can’t wait fer Harry to win, I know he will.” 

“I’ll be happy so long as he stays safe,” Remus said. 

“Magnificent creatures,” Hagrid said absentmindedly. 

“Blast-Ended Skrewts?” Remus furrowed his brow. He knew Hagrid loved creatures of all sorts, but they really weren’t magnificent in any way. 

“Nah, fer the task, the d-,” Hagrid stopped himself short. “I shouldn’t have said that.” 

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear,” Remus smiled. Hagrid often had the tendency to say too much, though he had managed to curtail his impulse on this occasion. 

“Oh, by the way, Lupin,” Hagrid said. “If yeh see Harry, tell him to come down here tonight.”

“Any reason?” Remus asked. 

“Just to talk,” Hagrid shrugged. Between a mysterious meeting and whatever Hagrid was covering up, Remus suspected that it might be about the tournament but decided not to badger the gamekeeper for more information. 

“I’ll let him know,” Remus nodded. 

Despite Harry’s best attempts at avoiding the entire Hogwarts population, it wasn’t exactly hard for Remus to find him and Hermione by the lake that afternoon. Hermione was wading through a pile of books to help prepare for the task while Harry sat up against a tree. 

“We’ve already done spells like _protego_ and _impedimenta_ with Lupin, though I think you should look at some offensive spells as well,” Hermione said. 

“The first task is in two days, Hermione,” Harry said irritably. “I don’t even know what I’ll be facing, nevermind trying to learn a spell for it in that time.” 

“I’m only trying to help,” Hermione said. 

“Well, you’re not,” Harry snapped. 

“Fine,” Hermione started collecting her books. “I’ll go then.” 

“Hermione,” Harry said. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” 

“I know, Harry,” Hermione replied. She finished putting her books in her bag and slung it over her shoulder before standing. “I’ll be in the library if you need me. Maybe we can go over some spells in the Common Room tonight?” 

“Yeah, okay,” Harry nodded. 

“Hello, Professor,” Hermione greeted as she walked back up to the castle. 

“Hello, Hermione,” Remus replied. 

“How are you doing?” Remus asked as he approached Harry. 

“Fantastic,” Harry said sarcastically. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” Remus said. “I expect you’re nervous about the task?” 

“Yeah,” Harry mumbled. “Hermione’s been trying to help, but what if I try to do a spell and nothing happens? Then I’ll look like a complete prat.” 

“You won’t,” Remus assured. “I’m sure the other champions are just as nervous as you.”

“But they’re older than me,” Harry said. 

“Older doesn’t mean better Harry,” Remus said. “They’re more experienced, yes, but each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses, as do you. What they will be doing, and what you should do too, is play to their strengths.” 

“I haven’t got any strengths,” Harry said. 

“Of course you do,” Remus laughed. “Have some faith in your ability, Harry. You’ve repeatedly proven your strengths, from fighting off trolls at eleven to learning the Patronus Charm last year.” 

“You know about the troll?” Harry smirked slightly. 

“McGonagall told me,” Remus said. “James would have been thrilled. It’s the sort of thing he would have tried to drag Sirius and me into doing with him. Though I’m sure Sirius wouldn’t have needed much convincing.” 

Harry laughed lightly but then looked rather thoughtful. 

“Did you ever fight? You, Sirius, and Dad?” Harry asked. He missed Ron, that much was evident to Remus, but both boys were too upset to take the first step to make up. 

“All the time,” Remus replied honestly. “Sometimes they were as stupid as stealing each other’s ties, other times they were much more serious.” 

“Like that prank Sirius pulled on Snape?” Harry asked. Remus wondered how Harry could have known there had been a fight after that particular event. “I figured it must have caused a fight if Dad went against Sirius to save Snape.” 

“Yes,” Remus said after a long pause. “That was probably one of the worst fights we ever had. James was angry at Sirius for trying to kill Snape and for outing me to him. Sirius regretted involving me in the prank, but he still harbored a lot of anger towards Snape. I was upset with Sirius for what he nearly made me do and allowing Snape, of all people, to know of my condition.” 

“You made up though, obviously,” Harry prompted. 

“It took time,” Remus said slowly. “We forgave each other, but it was still a few months before everything returned to as it was before the prank.” 

“I don’t want that to dissuade you from talking to Ron though,” Remus said. “Our fight was extremely emotional and serious, but we still made up. Give Ron some time, he’ll understand.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Harry said. “Just wish he’d be a bit quicker about it.” 

“Speaking of friends, Hagrid wants to see you tonight,” Remus said, remembering what he had been looking for Harry in the first place for. 

“What for?” Harry asked. 

“I don’t know, he only asked that you go to his hut later tonight,” Remus said. 

“Okay,” Harry shrugged. “I’d better go to the library and see if Hermione’s found anything.” 

“Good idea,” Remus said. “Don’t stress yourself out too much, you’ll need your strength for the task itself.” 

Harry nodded and bid Remus goodbye as he made his way towards the library. Remus mused on their conversation as he walked along the lake by himself. Harry was a lot like James and Lily, Remus saw it more so every day. He had James’s mischievousness and loyalty, Lily’s compassion and resourcefulness. Though Harry might doubt his abilities, Remus knew that he could face whatever the task had in store for the champions just as well, if not better, than the others thanks to the qualities his parents passed onto him. Whatever the tournament threw at him, Remus was sure Harry could handle it. 

Even if it gave him a heart attack in the meantime. 

“ _Dragons?!_ ” Remus exclaimed. 

The morning of the tournament had come and the staff was making final preparations for the task before it began in the afternoon. A makeshift arena stood at the edge of the forest, far from the castle, and inside four furious dragons were banging against their cages in an attempt to escape. 

“You’re kidding,” Remus said in disbelief, despite the fact he was staring at them with his very own eyes. 

“It’s insanity,” McGonagall clutched at her heart when one of the dragons roared and breathed fire at her captors. “Dragons? For students to face? Who in their right mind-” 

“Isn’t it exciting?” Ludo Bagman said while admiring the dragons. “It’ll make for a fascinating task. I can’t wait to see how the champions react to the challenge.” 

“Indeed,” McGonagall muttered scornfully. Bagman wandered off to get a better look at the dragons and McGonagall rubbed her forehead incredulously. “Obviously someone not in their right mind, to answer my question.” 

McGonagall was called away by one of the Ministry officials, leaving Remus to stare in horror at the dragons. Bagman must be out of his mind, Remus thought to himself. Why else would he choose a Hungarian Horntail as one of the dragons? 

“Beauties, aren’t they?” Hagrid came up behind Remus, looking upon the fire-breathing creatures like a mother looked at her newborn baby. 

“They’re something alright,” Remus replied. “They’re not seriously expecting teenagers to fight off full-grown dragons?” 

“Only to distract them long enough to grab their egg,” A muscular redhead appeared next to Hagrid. He offered his hand to Remus. “Charlie Weasley.” 

“Remus Lupin,” Remus said, shaking his hand. 

“Oh, you’re the defense professor!” Charlie said. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my siblings, they think you’re great.” 

“That’s very kind of them,” Remus smiled. 

“Which one d’you think Harry’ll get Charlie?” Hagrid interrupted, still gazing longingly at the ferocious dragons. 

“Dunno, it’s supposed to be random,” Charlie replied. “I wouldn’t envy anyone who gets the Horntail though. I love dragons, but whew. She’s nasty.” 

Charlie’s attitude towards the Horntail did little to quell Remus’s anxiety as the task drew ever nearer. Afternoon classes had been canceled to accommodate for the task and students and spectators soon began filing into the arena, eagerly awaiting the start of the tournament. Sitting alongside the other professors and officials, Remus anxiously bounced his leg up and down in anticipation of the start of the task. 

At the sound of a deafening cannon, Cedric Diggory was announced as the first champion to face the task, which he did so by transforming a rock into a dog in order to distract the dragon and grab the egg. Fleur Delacour was next, performing a charm to lull the dragon into a trance. After that, Krum hit his dragon in the eye with a hex and successfully collected the egg.

Harry would be next to face his dragon, and through the process of elimination, Remus knew he would be facing the Hungarian Horntail. Charlie’s words echoing in his head as Harry stepped out into the arena, Remus hoped that he had been able to work out a plan to defeat it. 

“ _Accio Firebolt!_ ” Harry shouted. Remus saw his broomstick come racing out of the castle and towards the arena, landing midair next to Harry. Harry mounted the broomstick and took off into the air. 

“Excellent tactic by Mr. Potter!” Bagman announced. “Using his skills as a Seeker to outmaneuver the Horntail, very clever!” 

Harry weaved in and around the Horntail, diving and pulling up to avoid her jets of fire. The crowd cheered when Harry swerved on a particularly tight corner. 

“Extraordinary flying skills being demonstrated here today,” Bagman said. 

Harry looked to be trying to dizzy the Horntail by flying around her head. Though the Horntail seemed to have had enough of his games, for rather than breathe fire at Harry, she swung her tail at him. Remus felt his heart drop when one of the spikes made contact with Harry’s shoulder, the crowd echoing him with groans and shouts. 

Harry quickly recovered and pulled back around to face the Horntail once again, expertly avoiding her jets of fire and bobbing around her, just out of reach. The Horntail let out a roar of anger and irritation as Harry climbed higher into the sky. She reared up onto her hind legs and extended her wings to follow him, finally giving Harry his opportunity. He dived down as soon as the dragon left her eggs unattended, swooped up the golden egg, and retreated to the safety of the stands. 

“Fantastic! Absolutely spectacular!” Bagman shouted. “Look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg!” 

While Charlie and the other dragon keepers rushed to get the Horntail under control, Harry landed back at the entrance to the arena, where Remus, McGonagall, and Hagrid awaited him. 

“That was excellent, Potter!” McGonagall praised, to which Harry grinned. 

“That was a good idea, using the Firebolt,” Remus said. “You did magnificently.”

“Thanks,” Harry panted, still exhilarated from the task. 

“You’ll need to have your shoulder seen to,” Remus said. “Madam Pomfrey’s in the first aid tent over there.” 

Hagrid led Harry off towards Madam Pomfrey while Remus and McGonagall returned to their seats to await the scores from the judges. 

“He did phenomenally,” McGonagall said. “Against a Horntail too.” 

“He’s an excellent flier, it was a good idea to use that to his advantage,” Remus said. 

“I dread to think what the following tasks will be if they imagined dragons would be a good first task,” McGonagall shuddered. 

“One down, two to go,” Remus said. “Let’s hope he can perform as well in the other tasks as he did today.” 

As soon as Harry returned from first aid, the judges began announcing their scores. Karkaroff, predictably, gave him a four. Madame Maxime gave him an eight, while Crouch and Dumbledore gave him a nine. Bagman gave Harry a ten, much to the celebration of Harry’s supporters. 

Hagrid was positively howling with joy when Harry tied with Krum for first place, crying happy tears as he announced for the whole arena to hear how proud he was. Remus allowed himself to smile in relief as well as he comforted Hagrid. He’d been shocked and terrified to say the least when he realized Harry would be facing a dragon, but the fourteen-year-old had managed to stay calm and complete the task tremendously well. 

A weight lifted off his shoulders, Remus and Hagrid left the arena together, with Hagrid regaling Harry’s best moves from the task. 

“And when he pulled out o’ that dive!” Hagrid grinned. “Amazing, bloody amazing!” 

“Just like his dad, eh?” Hagrid nudged Remus’s shoulder. “Remember all those tricks he’d pull in his games? Never thought I’d see another player like that ‘till Harry came along.” 

“He’s a good flier, even better than James was,” Remus said fondly. 

“He’d be pretty damn proud, I think,” Hagrid said. 

“Yeah,” Remus smiled. “Yeah, he would be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine’s Day! I hadn’t realized this chapter would align with Valentine’s Day but at least there’s a little sprinkle of Remus and Sirius in this chapter in the spirit of the day!  
> I’d like to take a moment to echo Sirius’s words from this chapter and tell everyone to get some rest and take a break if they need it! Whether you’re in class or at work, if you need to take some time for yourself, do it! I’m back in college right now and I know I definitely do not listen to my own advice, but seriously (Siriusly… I’ll see myself out) take care of yourselves, especially in times like these.  
> One question I do have for all of you is if I should change the rating on this fic? I originally made it mature because it will at times deal with more serious topics (such as depression, loss, grief, etc.), but I’m not sure whether that needs a mature rating. What do you think? Also, if you have any ideas for tags that should be added to this fic so far please let me know! I’m awful with tagging stuff, so if you have any suggestions for tags I’d be happy to hear them.  
> I know I always say it, but thank you all so much for all the love you show this fic! I appreciate it so much when you comment and/or kudos, it absolutely makes my day! Stay safe and I hope you all have a wonderful day!


	6. Chapter 6

“Good morning,” McGonagall greeted as Remus stepped into the staff room. 

“Good morning Pro-” McGonagall shot a glare at Remus. “Minerva.” 

“It’s good that I’ve caught you actually,” McGonagall sipped her tea and beckoned Remus to sit across from her. “Do you own any dress robes?” 

“Dress robes? No, I don’t,” Remus said. “Why do you ask?” 

“You’ll need them for the ball,” Remus continued to look at her in confusion. “The Yule Ball.” 

_Shit_. Remus had forgotten all about the Yule Ball that accompanied the tournament. After the first task, he had been so relieved at Harry’s success that the looming presence of the holidays and the ball had completely slipped his mind. 

“Oh,” Remus said slowly. “I don’t think I’ll be going to the ball.”

“The Yule Ball is an integral tradition of the Triwizard Tournament,” McGonagall said firmly. “The staff is required to attend, including yourself. Even Mr. Filch will be attending.”

“All the more reason not to go,” Remus smiled. 

“You cannot simply decline to attend, Remus,” McGonagall sighed in frustration. 

“Well, I decline,” Remus said. 

“Why?” McGonagall asked. Remus paused for a moment, thinking of a solid response. 

“It’s the full moon,” Remus said. 

“It is not, I checked. The full moon is the week beforehand,” McGonagal shot back. 

“You want to face the wrath of Madam Pomfrey, be my guest,” Remus laughed lightly. 

“Remus,” McGonagall said with a warning tone. 

“I would really rather not go, Minerva,” Remus said, partially hoping to win her over by using her name. “I’m not a fan of parties, I’d rather read by myself.” 

“Well, I would certainly appreciate it if you attended,” Remus raised his eyebrow slightly, knowing McGonagall was playing the guilt card. “Imagine the chaos hundreds of excitable, rambunctious teenagers will cause to the castle, or our reputation no less. I cannot permit the students to behave in such a way that will besmirch the name of Gryffindor or Hogwarts!” 

“No, we couldn’t have that,” Remus laughed. “Though I’m not sure you have the right person to watch over them. Didn’t you call us the ‘most outrageously recalcitrant group of troublemakers Hogwarts has ever seen’?” 

“I was referring in the main towards Potter and Black,” McGonagall corrected, but had a small smirk on her face. “And I believe they took it as a compliment.”

“They did. Mainly because they didn’t know what recalcitrant meant,” Remus smiled reminiscently.

“Nevertheless,” McGonagall said. “I trust in your ability to handle unruly students, should you choose to attend.”

“It’s a choice now?” Remus said. “I thought it was a requirement?” 

“It is highly recommended,” McGonagall looked at him sternly. “I can hardly force you to attend, only compel you to.” 

Remus sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. McGonagall had made too good of an argument to allow him to refuse her request. 

“Fine, I’ll go,” Remus accepted defeat. “Must I wear dress robes, though? I’ll hardly be dancing, not unless Filch fancies one then I might.” 

“Unfortunately I believe he already has a partner in the form of Mrs. Norris,” McGonagall joked. “If you do attend, you do not have to wear dress robes if you do not wish to. I’ll take my victories where I can.” 

The final week before classes broke for winter break was full of stress for students and staff alike. Remus refrained from assigning homework, not wanting his students to have to work over their break, for which they were extremely grateful. In the last lesson of the semester, Remus had his fourth-years reviewing the defensive spells they had learned, as the next semester would focus on offensive spells. 

In a similar vein to the final exam he had given his third years the previous year, Remus set up different sections of the classroom that groups of students would rotate to review the spells. All was going fairly well. Neville was finally gaining confidence in his ability and performing superbly, Ron and Harry had returned to being friends and were happily working together, and everyone was interested and focused on the lesson at hand. Nearly everyone. 

“Pst, Potter!” Malfoy called out. Harry ignored him and continued practicing _locomotor mortis_ with Ron, much to the annoyance of the Slytherin. 

“I’ve heard you still don’t have a date to the ball,” Malfoy taunted. “Why not, Potter? Too busy sobbing over your dead parents?” 

He was referring to an article written by Rita Skeeter, claiming that Harry cried over the loss of his parents nightly. Harry started towards Malfoy but Ron held him back, flipping him off in the process. 

“It’s not worth it, Harry,” Ron said. “He’s just trying to wind you up.”

“What about you Weasel? I’d pity anyone who has to go to the ball with a penniless blood traitor like yourself,” Malfoy smirked. 

“Piss off Malfoy,” Harry growled, gripping his wand tightly. Ron was red in the face as he glared at Malfoy. 

Not wanting the confrontation to escalate, Remus stepped away from the group he had been helping to intervene in the tense situation. 

“What’s going on?” Remus asked as he approached them. 

“Nothing, sir,” Malfoy said innocently, with an air of sarcasm at calling Remus ‘sir’. He never had respected Remus, mainly due to his appearance and lack of wealth, but he still wouldn’t openly disrespect a professor. 

“Come off it,” Ron said hotly. “You know what you did, you were goading us, don’t deny it!” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Weasel,” Malfoy smirked. 

“Alright, that’s enough,” Remus put a hand up. “I won’t tolerate any bullying or name-calling. If you continue to do so, you will need to leave the classroom. Is that understood?” 

“But,” Malfoy began to excuse himself, clearly used to escaping the consequences of his actions, but Remus wasn’t having any of that this time. 

“I heard what was said,” Remus interrupted. “You have two options: stay and continue your work without causing any more disruptions or leave. Do you understand?” 

“Yes,” Malfoy said bitterly and backed down, if only reluctantly. He might be bold enough to insult his peers, but he wasn’t bold enough to argue with a professor, particularly an accomplished Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. 

“Thank you,” Remus said. “Now if we could return to reviewing the spells?” 

Malfoy slunk back to his pack of cronies, having been put in his place, much to the pleasure of Harry and Ron. 

“Bye Ferret,” Ron said in a low voice. Harry snorted. 

“Ron,” Remus said in a warning tone. 

“What? He calls me Weasel!” Ron said. 

“Because he’s trying to get a rise out of you,” Remus replied. “Don’t stoop down to his level.” 

“He doesn’t give us a chance to ignore him, he’s always coming at us,” Harry defended. 

“He’s trying to get a reaction out of you. Don’t give him what he wants,” Remus explained. 

“What if he hexes us, we’re just supposed to ignore it?” Ron asked. 

“I didn’t say that,” Remus said. “Defend yourselves if you need to. That’s why I’ve been teaching defensive spells this semester so that you can all defend yourselves against an attack. But don't get pulled into his antics, that’s exactly what he wants. To see you get hurt, in trouble, or both.” 

Harry and Ron seemed skeptical about Remus’s advice but nodded anyway when Remus told them not to get involved with Malfoy’s blustering. Remus had seen it a hundred times before, bullies trying to provoke their victims into fighting back and getting into trouble themselves. Malfoy wasn’t sadistically obsessed with bullying or harming others as some people Remus had known in his own years at Hogwarts, more so seeking the attention and admiration of his peers. Remus might even have felt bad for Malfoy’s seemingly desperate need for the spotlight if it weren’t for the fact that the Slytherin was an insensitive bully. 

Remus hadn’t taken points off Slytherin or given Malfoy detention as he rarely did so anyway. Detention did little to stop rule-breaking, as evidenced by the hundreds of detentions he and his friends had gotten over the years, and taking points did nothing but punish the entire house for the actions of a few. It was doubtful that a simple talking-to would do much to alter Malfoy’s attitude towards his fellow students, but while Remus didn’t give detention or take points, he wasn’t going to ignore Malfoy’s behavior as other professors might. 

It later became evident that the incident with Malfoy would not be the only occurrence of attempted provocation that day. Hagrid had asked Remus down for tea after classes had ended, but Remus soon found that he was not the only guest in Hagrid’s hut that afternoon. 

“How would you describe Harry’s temperament? Emotional? Hot-headed?” Rita Skeeter asked as her Quick-Quotes Quill took notes. 

“Nah, he’s a good kid,” Hagrid smiled fondly. 

“He’s never played up in lessons, you’ve never had to tell him off?” Skeeter prompted. 

“Nah, never!” Hagrid replied. 

“Hm,” Skeeter scoffed. “You don’t think the, of course, tragic deaths of his parents have affected him, his mental stability?” 

“His mental stability?” Hagrid repeated confused. 

It was at that moment that Remus had knocked and opened the door, expecting just Hagrid and possibly Fang, only to be greeted to the sight of the dreadful reporter. 

“Uh, hello,” Remus said skeptically. 

“Hello,” Skeeter replied in an overly sweet voice. “You’re Professor Lupin, aren’t you? The Defense professor? I’m Rita Skeeter.”

“I know who you are,” Remus said. “I also know that Dumbledore banned you from entering the castle.” 

“Technically, I’m not in the castle,” Skeeter said. 

“You’re on its grounds,” Remus replied. “So I’d suggest you leave before I tell Dumbledore you’ve violated his order.” 

“Fine,” Skeeter picked up her quill and notepad. “I’ve got what I wanted anyway.” 

She exited from the hut and Remus watched as she left, ensuring that she wouldn’t be listening at the door. 

“What did she want?” Remus asked, sitting down across from Hagrid. Fang took this as an invitation to place his large head on Remus’s lap, drooling profusely. 

“Well, she said she wanted to talk ‘bout me Blast-Ended Skrewts,” Hagrid began. “But then she started asking ‘bout Harry, what he’s like and everything.” 

“Some advice for the future, don’t trust anything Rita Skeeter says,” Remus said. “She’s notorious for twisting stories.” 

“Oh,” Hagrid said sadly. “She’d said she’d put the Skrewts in the creatures column of the Prophet. I guess she were lying though.” 

“Probably,” Remus replied. “It’s alright, Hagrid. Luckily, she chose just about the worst person to interview if she wanted a bad angle on Harry.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Hagrid smiled. “I just said, he’s a good kid. She weren’t too pleased with that.”

“Well, hopefully, she stays away this time,” Remus said. “Dumbledore was quite clear on her being banned from the castle. I’ve no idea how she managed to get in.” 

“It’s not so hard,” Hagrid said. “You lot spent half your time looking for ways in and out of the castle. Remember all those times I chased you all out of the forest?” 

“That’s fair,” Remus laughed lightly. “Sorry about that, by the way. It must have been annoying chasing after us.” 

“Nah, it were fun,” Hagrid smiled. “Never seen a closer bunch o’ troublemakers than you lot. Well, besides the Weasley twins.” 

“Are you looking forward to the Yule Ball, Hagrid?” Remus changed the subject, not keen on dwelling on the past at that moment. 

“I might look in,” Hagrid actually blushed, shying away from the question. 

“Really? Anyone in particular you want to ‘look in’ for?” Remus asked with a slight grin. 

“Shut up, Lupin,” Hagrid said without any real malice. “I might go ter see Olympe.” 

“That’s nice,” Remus noted the first-name basis between Hagrid and Madame Maxime. “I’m sure she would appreciate it.” 

“You think?” Hagrid asked, smiling softly when Remus nodded. “What ‘bout you then? You going?” 

“Unfortunately,” Remus sighed. “I’ve been coerced into attending.” 

“Who managed that?” Hagrid asked. 

“McGonagall,” Remus replied. “I figured upon pain of death do I not attend when she asked me to go.” 

“That’s true enough,” Hagrid chuckled. “Nobody says no ter McGonagall.” 

When Christmas Day came, Hagrid’s words echoed in Remus’s mind as he helped the other professors set up for the ball that evening. Despite his reluctance to attend the ball, he wasn’t about to go back on his word to McGonagall, not if he valued his life. Most of the staff were already dressed for the event, with Flitwick in a tuxedo, McGonagall in elegant green dress robes, and even Mad-Eye in a kilt. One of the only times the two men synchronized, Remus and Snape both remained in their normal attires rather than wearing dress robes. 

As the final preparations were being made, the hum of excited students outside the doors filled the Great Hall. At Dumbledore’s signal, Flitwick instructed the orchestra to begin playing as students were allowed to enter. 

McGonagall and the other staff members had their hands full directing students where to stand as they awaited the introductory dance to the ball, as the students wanted to peek at the decorations, grab some of the food, or even begin dancing themselves. McGonagall tutted as she checked the time, waiting on Harry and his date to arrive. She was muttering something about turning Harry into a pocket watch when Remus spotted Harry coming down with Pavarti Patil. 

“There they are,” Remus pointed them out. McGonagall then went to pull them into line with the other champions. 

Harry looked thoroughly like a fish out of water, nervously straightening his robes and seeming quite uncomfortable with all the attention. He had also been shell shocked upon realizing that Hermione was Viktor Krum’s date and had stood gaping for about a minute before Pavarti could regain his attention. 

Once the champions were ready and the students eagerly awaiting their arrival had lined up to watch, they proceeded into the Great Hall. Flitwick and the orchestra began playing the introductory song and the four champions and their partners began to dance. 

His father’s son, Harry wasn’t the best dancer, despite his prowess as a Quidditch player. James had been a terrible dancer, though he enjoyed it thoroughly, especially when dancing with Lily. Sirius, having grown up in a traditional pure-blood family, had once spent the best part of an afternoon trying to teach James how to waltz, but quit after James trod on his foot for the hundredth time. Lily, a slightly more graceful dancer, hadn’t minded though and danced with him often, even if her toes were in danger of getting stepped on. 

Soon other students began to join the champions on the dance floor, taking the focus off the champions themselves. Even McGonagall and Dumbledore took to the floor to dance, to the roaring applause of the students. Remus stuck to the sidelines, still not entirely comfortable in the situation. He and Hagrid had been standing together until he spotted Madame Maxime and quickly left to go speak with her, leaving Remus by himself. Spotting Mad-Eye sitting alone as well, Remus made his way over to the ex-Auror. 

“Evening, Lupin,” Mad-Eye greeted. “Enjoying yourself?” 

“It’s a beautiful ball, but parties aren’t really my cup of tea,” Remus replied, sitting down next to him. 

“Hmm,” Mad-Eye grunted. “Karkaroff looks awfully twitchy tonight, doesn’t he?” 

Mad-Eye was right, Karkaroff did look anxious. Rather than boasting about his champion’s accomplishments and how he would win the tournament, the Durmstrang headmaster had been rather quiet and serious that evening. 

“He does,” Remus agreed. 

They were still no closer to revealing who had entered Harry into the tournament, but in lieu of any other suspects, Karkaroff remained the most likely candidate. Remus still wondered what Karkaroff’s motives were, but even if he hadn’t put Harry’s name in personally, it was likely he knew something about the situation. 

“I’ve been watching him for weeks,” Mad-Eye said. “He knows I’m onto him, it’s only a matter of time before he cracks.” 

“You think he’s the one responsible?” Remus asked. 

“Damn sure of it,” Mad-Eye growled, his magical eye trained on Karkaroff, who was currently dancing with one of the Hogwarts staff. “Why? You don’t think so?”

“I don’t know,” Remus said. “He’s the most likely candidate, but that’s obvious isn’t it? Why would he do it knowing he would be the number one suspect?” 

“Because he’s gotten away with it, hasn’t he?” Mad-Eye said. “Nearly two months since Potter’s name came out of that cup, nothing’s been done about it.”

“You’re watching him, though. If he does try something else, we’ll know,” Remus reasoned. 

“Aye,” Mad-Eye said. “Bastard’s getting nervous. Just need him to slip and then I’ve got him.” 

Mad-Eye pulled his flask out of his coat and took a swig of it. Remus’s nose wrinkled when he caught a whiff of whatever was in it because it certainly wasn’t butterbeer. Seriously, what the hell was he drinking, Remus wondered to himself. 

“Eyes up,” Mad-Eye said. Karkaroff was leaving the Great Hall in a hurry, gripping his arm, with Snape on his tail as well. “See what they’re up to will you? I’d go, but my leg’s acting up, bloody thing.” 

Remus nodded, getting up to covertly follow Karkaroff and Snape. He followed them out of the Great Hall and into the courtyard, where they were arguing in hushed voices. Remus stood behind a pillar to listen in to the conversation. 

“I don’t see what there is to fuss about, Igor,” Snape said. 

“It’s happening again, Severus!” Karkaroff hissed. “It’s been getting clearer and clearer for months, even you cannot deny-” 

“I’ve told you already, I see no reason to discuss it,” Snape replied. 

A pause was followed by hurried footsteps, then the slamming open of a carriage door. 

“Ten points from Ravenclaw, Fawcett. The same from Hufflepuff, Stebbins,” Snape snarled. 

Fawcett and Stebbins quickly made their escape, allowing Karkaroff and Snape to continue their argument. 

“It’s a sign, you know it is!” Karkaroff said. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Snape’s footsteps sounded as if he were retreating, but Karkaroff wasn’t finished with him yet. 

“Really? Then, perhaps, you wouldn’t mind rolling up your sleeve?” Karkaroff challenged. “Ha! You don’t fool me, Severus. You are scared!” 

“I have nothing to be scared of, Igor. Can you say the same?” Snape replied. 

Karkaroff clearly didn’t have a reply to that, and if his footsteps were any indication, he had run off. Snape too left the courtyard, returning inside. 

Remus stepped out from behind the pillar, fully intending to return to the Great Hall, but not before he saw Harry standing across the courtyard as well. 

“Harry?” Remus called out. “Are you alright?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Harry walked over to Remus. “Did you hear that conversation too?” 

“Yes, I did,” Remus said. 

“What was Karkaroff talking about ‘it’s happening again’?” Harry asked. 

“I don’t know,” Remus replied honestly. Something had spooked the man and from the fact that he was a Death Eater, it was probably related to Voldemort. But as to what that was, Remus hadn’t a clue. “Something’s frightened him, which isn’t a good sign.” 

“Do you still think Karkaroff had something to do with my name coming out of the cup?” Harry asked. 

“I’m not sure,” Remus said. “Mad-Eye believes so. I don’t know why Karkaroff would subject himself to scrutiny during the tournament. However, that conversation certainly didn’t project his innocence.” 

“So why was he talking to Snape?” Harry asked. Remus wasn’t about to delve into the intricacies of Death Eaters with Harry, nor the fact that Karkaroff and Snape had both been them. He didn’t want to lie to Harry though. That wouldn’t be fair to him, especially considering his safety hung in the balance. 

“I believe Karkaroff and Snape knew each other during the war,” Remus revealed carefully. “It would seem that Karkaroff had something to confide in Snape, though what it was I don’t know.” 

“Bonding over how much they hate me?” Harry asked sarcastically. “Maybe they both put my name in to try and do me in.” 

“You sound like Sirius,” Remus laughed. “He was convinced that Snape had something to do with it.” 

“Do you think he did?” Harry asked. 

“No,” Remus replied. Harry gave him a dubious look. “I know you and Snape have a mutual hatred, but I’m certain he didn’t have anything to do with it. We should focus on finding who really did rather than throwing the blame on people we dislike.” 

“Fine,” Harry shrugged. “So you’ve talked to Sirius?” 

“Not for a few weeks, but yes, we’ve talked,” Remus replied. 

“He said he’s coming back here. I told him not to, but he didn’t listen,” Harry said. 

“Don’t take it too personally, he rarely listens to anyone,” Remus said. “He’ll be careful. I don’t believe the Ministry is even aware he’s returned.” 

“That’s good,” Harry said. 

“As a matter of interest, why were you out here and not inside?” Remus asked. 

“Ron and Hermione got in a row,” Harry replied. “And Pavarti wanted to dance with someone else, so I figured I might as well leave, but then I heard Snape and Karkaroff.” 

“Did you enjoy it at least, the ball?” Remus asked. 

“Honestly, not really,” Harry said. “I’d rather face that Horntail than have to dance in front of everyone again.” 

They walked back towards the entrance to the Great Hall, which was almost empty, save for a few couples who were dancing to the slowed music. Harry looked around for Ron and Hermione, worried about what rows they might have had without him there to mitigate the damage. 

“Hope they haven’t gotten into one,” Harry peered around the corridor, still not seeing them. “They were angry at each other earlier, don’t know why though.” 

“Holidays can be a stressful time,” Remus said. “They’ll work themselves out, I’m sure. Just as you did with Ron. Though you should still go and check on them to see if everything’s alright.” 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Harry replied. “Happy Christmas Professor.” 

“Happy Christmas Harry,” Remus smiled. “And Happy New Year.” 

Harry hurried off in search of his friends and Remus was alone for the second time that night. He leaned against the doors of the Great Hall and admired the remaining decorations for the Yule Ball, full of delicately falling snowflakes, silvery trees covered with tinsel and snow, and starry lights. Remus hadn’t appreciated just how beautiful it looked earlier. 

When McGonagall had asked Remus why he didn’t want to attend the Yule Ball, he hadn’t been entirely honest. It was true that he didn’t enjoy parties, but that wasn’t the only reason he hadn’t wished to attend. Holidays, especially Christmas, reminded him of the times he’d had with his friends. They reminded him of the first Christmas after they had accepted him, their last Christmas at Hogwarts, Harry’s first Christmas, all of it. They were happy memories, of course, but also one tainted with sadness and regret. It felt wrong that he should be there, with Harry, when James, Lily, and Sirius were not. 

Thirteen years had passed but he still missed his friends as much as the day he had lost them. He wanted James. He wanted Lily. He wanted Sirius.

_Fuck._ He wanted Sirius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was fun to write more of McGonagall and Remus’s relationship as they were definitely co-worker besties in my opinion. I had a little trouble writing how Remus would respond to Malfoy’s bullying - I don’t believe that Remus would be one for giving detention or taking points away, but I do think that he would tell bullies off (similar to the way he told off Harry in POA).  
> I was perhaps a little forceful with the ✨foreshadowing✨ in that last line haha - the next chapter will be exclusively about Remus and Sirius so I hope you’ll look forward to that next week!  
> Thank you again for continuing to read and support this fic! I hope you all have a great day and stay safe!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a quick explanation for something that will come up in this chapter - in the Goblet Of Fire book, Sirius didn’t know that Snape was a Death Eater (for certain at least) nor did he know what the Dark Mark tattoo was. I don’t usually listen to canon (seeing as this entire fic is non-canon) but I am following that part in this chapter so I wanted to give you all a heads-up in case it was confusing. Hope you enjoy!

“That’ll be one galleon,” The shopkeeper of Tomes and Scrolls said. 

“Thank you,” Remus handed her the galleon. 

“I hope you enjoy your book,” She smiled. “ And Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year,” Remus replied as he exited the shop. 

It was New Year’s Eve and Remus had decided to take a trip down to Hogsmeade to get a book to read before the second semester began. He’d chosen a book on ancient runes, a subject he had taken while at Hogwarts and still had an interest in. He pulled his cloak on as he walked down the street back towards the castle, the winter air making him shiver slightly. He enjoyed the idea of fluffy snow and sitting by a fireplace with a warm blanket, but the reality of trudging through a damp mixture of mud and snow while you froze your arse off was less than appealing to him. 

As Remus made his way out of Hogsmeade, the clattering of bins down an alley caught his attention. Remus sighed when he saw a flash of black fur peek out from behind a stack of boxes, knowing exactly who it was. With a quick check to ensure nobody was watching, Remus went down the alley towards the dog. 

Padfoot wagged his tail and whined at Remus, asking him to follow him. Remus did so and soon found himself being led out of Hogsmeade and towards the nearby mountain. 

“Padfoot, I swear if I get pneumonia following you up this freezing bloody mountain,” Remus muttered as he followed him up the twisted, winding path. Padfoot turned his head and yipped at him, bounding up the trail. Remus rolled his eyes and quickened his pace to keep up. The path leveled out and ended at the mouth of a cave. Sirius, having turned back into himself, stood in the center of the cave. 

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Sirius gestured sarcastically. “Five-star accommodation, as you can see.” 

The cave was bare, save for a few old newspapers, and Buckbeak the Hippogriff sat in the corner. Buckbeak looked at Remus suspiciously until he bowed, approving of his gesture with a return bow. 

“Where was he when you came to my house?” Remus asked. 

“In a barn nearby,” Sirius said. “I figured you wouldn’t have appreciated a Hippogriff in your garden.” 

“Probably not,” Remus replied.

“How are you? How’s Harry?” Sirius asked. 

“He’s fine,” Remus answered, avoiding the question of his own wellbeing. “I’m sure he told you about the First Task.” 

“Yeah, he did,” Sirius grinned. “Good idea to use his broom. I would’ve said to use the Conjunctivitis Curse, but flying clearly worked well for him.” 

“Extremely well,” Remus agreed. “Most adults wouldn’t have fared that well.” 

“How’s he doing otherwise, when he’s not fighting dragons?” Sirius asked. 

“He’s alright, I think,” Remus said. “He’s doing well in his classes. He and Ron are friends again. He went to the Yule Ball at Christmas, though he wasn’t terribly keen on the prospect of dancing.” 

“I’d forgotten about that,” Sirius said. “The champions are the first to dance, right? How’d he do?” 

“About as good as James used to be,” Remus laughed. 

“I feel bad for his date then. He didn’t trod on her toes, did he?” Sirius asked. 

“Not to my knowledge,” Remus replied. “I don’t think he danced long enough for it to happen. He said he hadn’t really enjoyed the experience.” 

“Fair enough,” Sirius shrugged. “What about you? Did you dance with anyone?” 

“Yes, with Mr. Filch, he’s quite a lovely dancer,” Sirius mock-gagged. “No, I didn’t.” 

“Not even with Dumbledore? McGonagall?” Sirius teased. 

“Hardly,” Remus smiled back at him. “Mad-Eye was too busy telling me about his conspiracy theories.” 

“Surprised Mad-Eye even went to something like that,” Sirius said. 

“Imagine my surprise when I saw him in a kilt,” Remus replied. “I’ve never seen the man in anything besides that battered old cloak.” 

“That must have been a sight,” Sirius laughed. “So what was Mad-Eye going on about?” 

“He’s been following Karkaroff since the cup,” Remus said. “He believes that he’s responsible.” 

“And you don’t?” Sirius asked. “Remus, he’s a Death Eater. How much more convincing do you need? Even if he didn’t physically put Harry’s name in, he’ll have had something to do with it.” 

“I know,” Remus said. “But I can’t shake the feeling that Karkaroff doesn’t have the motivation to have done it.” 

“He’s a Death Eater, that’s motivation enough,” Sirius replied. “Mad-Eye’s gut isn’t often wrong. If he thinks Karkaroff’s involved, why don’t you?” 

“I didn’t say he wasn’t involved at all,” Remus corrected. “Just that I don’t believe he entered Harry into the competition. He’s got something to hide, but as to what that might be, I don’t know.” 

“What do you mean?” Sirius asked. Remus relayed the conversation he had overheard between Snape and Karkaroff at the Yule Ball. 

“What do you think they were talking about?” Sirius asked. 

“I don’t know,” Remus replied. “He was worried, scared even. I can’t imagine what could scare a man like Karkaroff that much.” 

“And why was he talking to Snape?” Sirius continued. “How do they even know each other?” 

“I’d imagine they must have known each other back in the day,” Remus said, but Sirius only furrowed his brow. 

“During the war,” Remus explained, puzzled by Sirius’s confusion. 

“Wait, you mean,” Sirius paused. “Snape’s a Death Eater?” 

“You didn’t know?” Remus asked incredulously. 

“How the hell was I supposed to know? How did you know?” Sirius fumed. 

“I found out a few months ago,” Remus said. “Dumbledore mentioned it. I thought you would’ve known?” 

“He was never convicted,” Sirius growled. “I only knew about the ones who were tried or convicted. I suspected he might be, but I never knew for certain.”

“I thought that if Dumbledore had hired him, then he couldn’t have been one,” Sirius said. “That bastard, that greasy, conniving bastard…” 

“Let’s focus on what’s important,” Remus interrupted, wanting to divert Sirius’s anger. “We need to find out who wanted Harry in the tournament and why.” 

“Isn’t it fucking obvious?” Sirius snapped. “We’re looking for the person who entered Harry into the competition, right? Someone who is working for Voldemort and hates Harry? Snape fits!” 

“Sirius,” Remus said with a warning tone, but Sirius ignored him. Sirius was quick to anger and difficult to calm down once he got started. 

“Sirius, please,” Remus reached out to hold Sirius’s arm, the action pausing his anger for just long enough to allow Remus to explain. It was something he had used to do to calm Sirius down when he got upset or angry. Thankfully, it still seemed to work. “It wasn’t Snape. Do you really think he could pull the wool over the eyes of Albus Dumbledore?” 

“He can if he was able to get Dumbledore to hire a Death Eater,” Sirius muttered. 

“I don’t know why he hired Snape, but he would’ve had his reasons for doing so,” Remus said calmly. “You know Dumbledore. He never does anything without a reason.” 

“I wish I knew who did it, Sirius,” Remus kept ahold of Sirius’s arm, rubbing it softly in a soothing manner. “But we can’t waste energy on going after people who weren’t involved.” 

“How can you be sure?” Sirius asked. 

“I trust Dumbledore and his judgment,” Remus continued despite Sirius rolling his eyes. “Just hear me out, please. I know you don’t trust Snape. I have reservations about him as well. But I do trust Dumbledore and we can’t afford to stop trusting one another now.” 

“We need to focus on finding who entered Harry into the competition,” Remus said. “That’s all that matters right now. I need to know that you’re with me on this.” 

“I am. You know I am,” Sirius replied. “But that still doesn’t prove Snape is innocent. Because if it wasn’t him and it wasn’t Karkaroff, then who was it?” 

“I don’t know,” Remus said honestly. 

“Perfect,” Sirius muttered. “You’re a real Hercule Poirot, Remus.” 

“We’ll find them, Sirius. Whoever it was, we’ll find them,” Remus said. “Alright? I promise.” 

“Yeah,” Sirius said softly after a long pause. “Yeah, alright.” 

Sirius’s anger and frustration had finally subsided and Remus realized that he was still holding onto his friend’s arm. Sirius didn’t seem to mind the gesture, but Remus felt awkward, worrying that he was overstepping his mark. He let go of Sirius’s arm and he wondered if he had imagined the disappointment that flashed across Sirius’s face when he did so. 

“I’m worried for him, Remus,” Sirius revealed. “He’s fourteen, for fuck’s sake. He shouldn’t be dealing with all this.” 

“No, he shouldn’t,” Remus agreed. “That’s why he needs us to be on the same page about this. We can’t sit around arguing while his safety is at stake.” 

“Fine,” Sirius sighed. “I’m still not trusting Snape though.”

“You don’t have to,” Remus said. “Just… trust me instead.” 

“I do trust you,” Sirius replied quietly. 

Sirius had wanted to tell Remus that for a while. After seeing what the breakdown of that trust had caused during the war, Sirius had vowed to never distrust Remus ever again. He trusted Remus with his life and trusted him to take care of Harry. He never again wanted Remus to think that he didn’t trust him. 

“Good,” Remus said, a tad awkwardly. “I trust you too, Sirius.” 

It had been almost frightening how easily Sirius had returned as a fixture in Remus’s life in the past few months alone. There were still things that they had yet to talk about and bad memories that the two shared. But Remus felt comfortable with Sirius. He trusted him, even though he had thought he never would again. 

Sirius felt a weight lifted off his chest when Remus said that he trusted him. He had worried that Remus would never trust him again after what happened. He wouldn’t have blamed him. After all, Sirius had stopped trusting him based on his own stupid, foolish fears. But Remus forgave him and gave him his trust. Sirius almost felt as if he didn’t deserve it but swore to not break it again once Remus had given it to him. 

“You alright?” Remus asked with concern and Sirius realized that he hadn’t said anything for a few minutes, too wrapped up in his own thoughts. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sirius deflected. “So, about Karkaroff. Do you think he was worried about Mad-Eye watching him?”

“Perhaps,” Remus followed Sirius’s lead. He didn’t want to push Sirius too hard or force him into talking about something he didn’t want to. “It would certainly make him uneasy, but I don’t know if he would necessarily be afraid of him, not as afraid as he was that night.” 

“If he went to Snape, then it must be something they have in common, something they both know about,” Remus continued. “Something with the Death Eaters, maybe?” 

“There was that attack at the Quidditch World Cup,” Sirius said. “Do you think they were there?”

“I’d doubt it,” Remus said. “Snape wouldn’t take a risk like that, not under Dumbledore’s watch. I don’t know if Karkaroff was there, but even if he were, I don’t imagine he would join the attack while his star student was there.” 

“That Krum kid?” Sirius asked. Remus nodded. “What about him? Karkaroff could be influencing him.” 

“I don’t think so,” Remus said. “I think Karkaroff just wants him to win the tournament so he can claim the glory for himself. Besides, Krum seems nice enough. Hermione went with him to the Yule Ball, so I’d trust her judgment of him.” 

“Really?” Sirius asked. “Huh. I would have thought Harry or Ron would have gone with her.” 

“That’s another story in and of its own,” Remus sighed, not keen on venturing into the realm of teenage drama. “Anyway, I would doubt that Krum’s being influenced by Karkaroff, other than pushing him to win the tournament.” 

“Fair enough,” Sirius agreed. “What else could they have been talking about then?”

“I don’t know,” Remus said. “It’s likely neither of them was at the attack, so perhaps other Death Eaters are pressuring them to return to the cause?” 

“Could be,” Sirius replied. “But this still doesn’t answer who wanted Harry in the tournament.” 

“I know,” Remus rubbed his eyes in frustration. “The thing that worries me is that if it wasn’t anyone at Hogwarts, then someone managed to get into the castle, enter Harry’s name, and leave without detection.” 

“It’s not impossible,” Sirius replied. “Anyone with knowledge of the secret passages could do that.” 

“Shit,” Sirius said suddenly. “Wormtail. He knows all of the passages and if he scurried back to Voldemort, then he could have gotten him to enter Harry into the tournament.” 

“ _Shit_ ,” Remus repeated. “Do you think he would take that risk?”

“Seeing as he betrayed his best friends to save his own skin,” Sirius growled. “Yeah, I think he would.” 

“But why would Voldemort want Harry in the tournament?” Remus asked. “If Wormtail was able to get back into Hogwarts, why wouldn’t he have just killed Harry himself, rather than hope on the off chance that the tournament kills him?” 

“People die all the time in these tournaments,” Sirius replied. “If Harry were to die during one of the tasks, it would be written off as an accident, not a murder by Lord Voldemort. With Harry gone…” 

The thought of Harry’s death was enough to make both Remus and Sirius feel nauseous. Sirius shut his eyes tightly and had to take a deep, shuddering breath before continuing.

“He got through the first task alright, but if dragons were only the first task of three,” Sirius began. “I can’t imagine what the other two will be like. It would be all too easy for something or someone to hurt him during one of the tasks.” 

“I know,” Remus said. 

“Have they told you anything about the tasks?” Sirius asked. 

“No,” Remus said. “The Ministry is keeping a tight lid on any information regarding the tasks. But Harry did get a clue for the second task when he completed the first one.” 

“What’s the clue?” Sirius asked. 

“I don’t know,” Remus replied. “I haven’t spoken to him about it. I’m not technically supposed to be helping him. Neutrality and all that.” 

“I can guarantee you that Karkaroff and Maxime aren’t too worried about neutrality when it comes to their champions,” Sirius scoffed. 

“Of course not, but Dumbledore is,” Remus replied. “I’ll help Harry as much as I can, but I can hardly do that if I’m fired for insubordination.” 

“He wouldn’t fire you,” Sirius said. 

“I’d rather not take that chance,” Remus said, a hint of frustration in his voice. 

“Dammit, Remus, we’re talking about Harry’s life here,” Sirius replied harshly. 

“You think I don’t know that?” Remus snapped. “Do you seriously think that I’m not terrified about what might happen to him? That I don’t feel fucking useless for not being to catch the person responsible?” 

Remus rarely allowed his emotions to boil over like that but Sirius’s jab, intentional or not, had pushed his frustrations over the edge. It gave Sirius enough of a shock that his own frustrations dissipated almost immediately. This was something that the two had experienced many times when one of them was frustrated or angry and the other helped them to calm down. Remus had done so himself earlier and it was Sirius’s turn to return the favor. 

“Re,” Sirius said softly, using one of the nicknames he had called Remus when they were younger in an effort to diffuse the tension. “I didn’t mean…” He paused. Remus was pinching the bridge of his nose to calm himself, something Sirius had seen him do as long as he had known him. “You’re not useless. You _are_ helping Harry.” 

“Really?” Remus scoffed. “Two months have passed and I’m still no closer to finding the culprit. As you said, Harry’s life is at stake and I’ve done absolutely nothing.” 

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Sirius winced at his poor choice of words. “Don’t blame yourself, it’s not as if Dumbledore or Mad-Eye know who did it either. The person to blame is the one who entered into the godforsaken tournament.” 

“As for Harry,” Sirius continued. “He’s strong. He fought off a Horntail last month for Merlin’s sake. Personally, I’d think twice if I were a Death Eater trying to off him if he can win against a dragon.” 

Sirius tried to inject a bit of humor into the conversation and managed to get a fleeting smile from Remus. 

“Listen to me, Remus,” Sirius said. “You’re not useless. You’re teaching him how to fight and how to defend himself. You’re looking out for him. You’re doing a hell of a lot.” 

“What I’m saying is, don’t pay attention to me,” Sirius said. “You more than anyone know how much of an arse I can be, that I say shit I don’t mean.” 

“Thank you,” Remus said quietly, feeling his anger dissolving. He had forgotten how calming and reassuring Sirius’s words could be. 

“You don’t have to thank me,” Sirius shrugged. 

“Really, Sirius,” Remus said. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Sirius pinkened slightly at Remus’s appreciation. It had been a long time since someone had thanked him for something he did. 

“Just to clarify,” Remus asked with a playful edge to his voice, wanting to lighten the mood. “Should I listen to you or not pay attention to you? Because that wasn’t entirely clear.”

“Oi!” Sirius laughed. “I gave you a heartfelt, emotional speech and you’re hung up on my bloody phrasing?” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that. You told me not to pay attention to you,” Remus smirked slightly. 

“I take it all back, you are a total arse Remus Lupin,” Sirius grinned back at him. 

“Well, you’d know all about my arse, Sirius,” Remus replied automatically, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he realized the implications of what he was saying. The banter between them had stirred memories of times when the two of them were younger, dragging Remus and his dignity down with them. 

“Um,” Remus coughed, a blush creeping up on his cheeks from embarrassment. “I mean… What I meant to say was that you’d, uh, know about my being an arse sometimes. We did live together for almost a decade after all.” 

Sirius didn’t respond. In their handful of meetings in the past few months, neither one had yet broached the topic of their past. From Sirius’s escape from the Ministry, the attack at the Quidditch World Cup, and Harry’s entrance into the tournament, they hadn’t exactly had the time to sit down and discuss it. Nor had they been particularly keen to. They hadn’t parted on the best of terms, to say the least. They might have since renewed their friendship, but a relationship was another matter entirely. Not only because of the breaking of trust between them but the other problems they were facing, from Sirius avoiding recapture to protecting Harry. 

They didn’t have time to talk about it. Harry took precedence. That they agreed upon. They needed to look out for him. They couldn’t talk about it, not yet. 

Remus cleared his throat and took another long look around the dingy cave, desperate for something else to talk about. It really was completely bare, with the exception of the Hippogriff in the corner. 

“You’re not really planning on staying in a damp cave for the duration of the tournament?” Remus asked. 

“I can hardly book a room in Hogsmeade can I?” Sirius replied. “This way I’ll be near Harry and the Ministry won’t know I’m here. I can even play the lovable stray to get some food.”

“I don’t want you begging for food,” Remus said. He felt guilty that he would be going back to a warm dinner and cozy bed, leaving Sirius without either. 

“It’s my choice, Remus,” Sirius replied. 

“At least let me get you some blankets or something,” Remus argued. “You’ll catch your death out here without any.” 

“Fine,” Sirius relented, knowing Remus would keep pushing until he caved. “But only a blanket.” 

“I could bring you some food, once a week or so,” Remus suggested. 

“That’s too suspicious,” Sirius said. “What if someone starts to wonder why you’re disappearing up a mountain every week?” 

“As if I don’t already disappear for other reasons,” Remus replied sarcastically. 

“I’ll be fine, Remus,” Sirius said. “If something important happens, then come. But I don’t want you risking your neck for me.” 

It was Remus’s turn to concede defeat, agreeing not to make frivolous trips to see Sirius or bring him things. The sun was beginning to set in the late winter afternoon, forcing Remus to make his way back to the castle. Sirius walked back down to the base of the mountain with him, standing on the edge of the forest with a faint view of Hogsmeade in between the trees. 

“It was good seeing you again,” Sirius said. “It’s nice to talk to somebody.” 

“It’s good to see you too,” Remus replied. “Well, I’d best be off. Happy New Year, Sirius.”

“Is it New Year’s Eve?” Remus nodded. “Happy New Year to you too then. Don’t go too crazy on the Firewhiskey tonight.”

“As if,” Remus laughed. “See you, Sirius.”

“Bye, Remus,” Sirius waved as Remus walked away. 

Remus made his way through the trees and back into Hogsmeade, turning back for a moment when he heard a faint bark. Padfoot barked once more, wagged his tail, and took off up the mountain. 

Once he had returned to his room, he threw some blankets and a pillow into a package for one of the school owls to take to Sirius, his instructions for a single blanket be damned. 

Midnight came and the clock towers rang as Remus sat at his desk reading his latest book. He closed the book and set it down, looking out of his window towards the mountains. 

“Happy New Year, Padfoot,” Remus said softly. 

Sirius sat in the cave, huddled up next to Buckbeak with a thick blanket around his shoulders. It smelled like Remus, of old books and the forest and dark chocolate. For a moment, Sirius had felt guilty that his friend should give up one of his possessions for him, but that guilt was soon alleviated when the familiar scent soothed his nerves. He felt his eyes drooping in anticipation of sleep, the first time it had happened in many years. He laid his head down on the pillow and pulled the blanket tighter around him. 

“Happy New Year, Moony.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was really fun to write a completely Remus and Sirius-centric chapter. They’re slowly inching back to each other, even if they are both stubborn bastards who refuse to talk about their feelings. I’m taking their relationship fairly slow in this fic because I don’t think that they would have been able to just jump back into dating as soon as they reunited - as I wrote in the chapter, there was a lot of hurt and breaking of trust between them during the war and they need to work through that before they can properly get back together (but obviously as this is a Remus/Sirius fic, they will be together eventually).  
> Once again, thank you for all your support on this fic! It really means the world to me that people are enjoying it! I hope you all have a great day and stay safe!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: brief mentions of self-doubt and self-hate

On the morning of the start of the second term, Remus awaited the arrival of his third years for their lesson on Red Caps. Much to his confusion, his students began to file into the classroom half an hour before the lesson was due to start. 

“Is there a reason everyone is so early?” Remus asked the class. 

“Care of Magical Creatures was canceled,” Ginny answered. 

“Why? Did something happen?” A dozen pairs of eyes looked shiftily at each other. 

“Have you seen the news?” Remus shook his head. Colin Creevey pulled a copy of the Daily Prophet out of his bag and handed Remus a page of it. There was a picture of Hagrid on the page above an article written by Rita Skeeter. Remus scanned it quickly, his heart sinking when he realized that the article had outed Hagrid as a half-giant. 

Remus had already known that fact - Hagrid had told him after a rough full moon in his very first year at Hogwarts. Hagrid had made him a cup of tea, given him a plate of biscuits, and told him not to think any less of himself because of his condition and that he deserved to be at the school as much as anyone else. When Remus replied that Hagrid didn’t know what it was like being an outcast, being hated by Wizarding society, he told him about his parentage. Remus never told anyone about Hagrid’s secret, not even his friends, as it had been comforting to talk with someone who could understand how he felt. 

Remus quickly recovered from the shock and focused on getting through the lesson with his third years. He dismissed them early for lunch, as they had already shown up early, and took the opportunity to walk down to Hagrid’s before classes resumed in the afternoon. 

He knocked and heard Fang barking from the inside, but Hagrid did not open the door. 

“Hagrid?” Remus called out. “Can I come in?”

No response. 

“I saw the article,” Remus said. “I’m so sorry, Hagrid. You didn’t deserve that.” 

Still no response. 

“Can I come in? Please?” Remus asked. 

“No,” Hagrid’s voice was muffled from the door, though it was clear from the quiver in his voice he was upset. “Go away, Lupin.” 

“Hagrid, please,” Remus sighed. “Can I come by later?” 

“Not today,” Hagrid sniffled. “Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Remus said. “What if I come down on Saturday, is that okay?” 

“Fine,” Hagrid said after a long pause. 

Hagrid didn’t want to see anyone at the moment, which Remus understood well enough. He had experienced enough internalized shame and self-doubt due to other peoples' prejudices to know that when something like this did happen, he also had a tendency to want to isolate himself and avoid anyone else for fear of being hurt again. But he also knew the dangers of isolating yourself, even from those who want to help you. Hagrid himself had been one of the ones to teach Remus that. 

When Saturday finally arrived, Remus was determined to help Hagrid as the man had helped him when he was in school. As he walked down to Hagrid’s, he noticed Dumbledore walking in the same direction. 

“Good afternoon, Remus,” Dumbledore greeted brightly. 

“Hello, Professor,” Remus replied. 

“Where are you off to on this brisk day?” Dumbledore asked. 

“I was going to see Hagrid,” Remus said. 

“Ah, excellent! I was planning to take a trip down there myself,” Dumbledore said, resuming their walk towards Hagrid’s.

“I assume you’ve seen the article?” Remus asked. 

“I have,” Dumbledore said solemnly. “It was disappointing that the Daily Prophet should choose to print something so venomous. Though I cannot say I was surprised - Rita Skeeter once referred to me as an obsolete dingbat, a rather impressive insult I must admit.” 

“Hagrid?” Dumbledore knocked as they arrived at his door. “Remus and I have come down to see you if you would be so kind to allow us in.” 

“‘Lo, Professor,” Hagrid said hoarsely, his eyes red and his face blotchy. He opened the door wider for Remus and Dumbledore to enter. Fang barreled towards Remus, jumping up on him in an attempt to lick his face. Remus gave his ears a quick scratch before removing the dog’s massive paws from his shoulders (much to Fang’s disappointment) and taking a seat next to Hagrid and Dumbledore. 

“Perhaps we should have some tea?” Dumbledore suggested. He waved his wand and a tea kettle began boiling and pouring cups of tea for the three of them. 

“Thanks,” Hagrid said, taking a sip from his cup. “Professor, I-”

“I am well aware of the letter you sent me,” Dumbledore interrupted.

“What letter?” Remus asked. 

“A letter of resignation,” Dumbledore answered. 

“What?” Remus said incredulously. “Hagrid, you can’t resign.” 

“My sentiments exactly,” Dumbledore agreed. 

“I can’t stay,” Hagrid said with a loud sniffle. “Nobody’ll want me ter stay.”

“I would beg to differ that Remus and I would like you to stay,” Dumbledore countered.

“And Harry, Ron, and Hermione as well,” Remus said. “They’ll miss you if you resign.”

“Yer one to talk,” Hagrid’s voice quivered. “Yeh wanted to go last year.”

“I think there’s a rather large difference between turning into a werewolf in front of students and a malicious article being written about you,” Remus joked. Hagrid laughed lightly, but tears continued to stream down his face. “Even then Dumbledore still wouldn’t accept my resignation.”

“No, I did not,” Dumbledore said. “Because in my mind there was no reason for you to resign. The same applies to you Hagrid. You have committed no offense, so why should you resign?” 

“I brought these along,” Dumbledore reached into his robes and produced a stack of letters. “These are letters from parents who saw the article and have told me unequivocally that you should not be fired,” Dumbledore explained. “They remember you fondly from their days at Hogwarts and they have informed me that they would be very upset indeed if you left.” 

Hagrid did not pick up the stack of letters, tears continuing to pour out as Dumbledore told him of their contents, as if he couldn’t believe that people truly wanted him to stay. 

A pounding at the door made Remus jump slightly. He didn’t have time to wonder who it might be as the person loudly made themselves known. 

“Hagrid!” Hermione shouted. “Hagrid, that’s enough! We know you’re in there!”

Dumbledore stood from the table and walked over to open the door, all the while Hermione continued to shout through the door. She stopped as soon as she came face to face with the headmaster, sheepishly walking through the door followed by Harry and Ron. 

“Did you by any chance hear what Miss Granger was shouting, Hagrid?” Dumbledore asked. “Hermione, Harry, and Ron still seem to want to know you, judging by the way they were attempting to break down the door.”

“Of course we still want to know you!” Harry said. “You don’t think anything that Skeeter cow - sorry, Professor.”

“I have temporarily gone deaf and haven’t any idea what you said, Harry,” Dumbledore replied. 

“Right,” Harry continued. “I just meant, how could you think we’d care about anything that woman wrote about you?”

“That’s what we’ve been telling you, Hagrid,” Remus said. “Skeeter wrote that article just to be cruel. It doesn’t change how any of us see you. That’s what matters, isn’t it?”

“Not fer everyone,” Hagrid sniffled. “Others won’t want me ter stay.”

“Don’t worry about them,” Remus said. “It doesn’t matter what they think. You’re a good teacher and you shouldn’t resign because of a spiteful reporter.” 

“Hear, hear,” Dumbledore nodded. 

“Come back and teach, Hagrid,” Hermione pleaded. “Please come back. We really miss you.” 

Tears streamed down Hagrid’s face upon hearing his visitors’ kind words. 

“I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid,” Dumbledore said with an air of finality. “I expect you back at work on Monday.”

Dumbledore stood and bid the rest good afternoon before leaving, prompting Hagrid to even more tears. 

“Great man, Dumbledore,” Hagrid said once he had calmed down. “Yer right, I’ve just bin a bit stupid.”

“You’re not being stupid Hagrid,” Remus reassured. 

“Thanks, Lupin,” Hagrid said gratefully. “Thanks all of yeh, what yeh said - it means the world teh me.”

Hagrid wiped his eyes and nose on a cloth and gave the four of them a soft smile. He seemed brighter than he had been a mere twenty minutes prior, bolstered by the support he needed and deserved. The five of them spoke for a while, Hagrid telling the others about his father whom he had greatly admired and had taught him to never be ashamed of who you were. 

“Yeh know what I’d love, Harry?” Hagrid said suddenly. “I’d love yeh ter win. It’d show ‘em all that yeh don’t have to be pureblood to do it, that yeh don’t have to be ashamed of what yeh are, as my dad woulda said.” 

“How you doing with that egg, Harry?” Hagrid asked excitedly. Harry’s face flashed with something that looked like panic for a moment before recovering. 

“Great,” Harry said. “Really great.” 

They chatted for a few more minutes before they had to leave, Hagrid thanking them all profusely for their help. As they returned to the castle, Remus noticed a look of guilt on Harry’s face. 

“You alright, Harry?” Remus asked. 

“No,” Harry said honestly. “I haven’t figured out the egg yet. I didn’t want to lie to Hagrid, but I didn’t want to disappoint him.” 

“You’re not disappointing anyone, I assure you,” Remus said. 

“I just can’t figure it out,” Harry said. “There’s nothing to figure out, it just screams whenever I open it.”

“Maybe you have to fight a Banshee?” Ron suggested. 

“If those were a Banshee’s screams, we’d all be dead,” Hermione said. 

“Well, what else makes a right racket like that then?” Ron asked. He turned to Remus for an answer. “Just for… knowledge’s sake?”

“Really, Ron, you are the worst conspirator,” Hermione rolled her eyes. 

“Well,” Remus took a brief look over his shoulders to ensure they were alone, as it would not bode well to be accused of helping a champion cheat. “Hermione is right in it not being a Banshee, as its screams would kill you.”

“Few creatures besides Banshees make shrieking noises,” Remus explained. “It’s possible that the screams are not from a creature, but rather something to be deciphered, like a code.” 

“How the hell am I supposed to decipher one scream from another?” Harry asked incredulously. 

“I’m not sure,” Remus said. “Perhaps it requires a certain spell to be translated or deciphered. Or it might need to be opened at a specific time or place.” 

“A specific place,” Harry repeated slowly. A light bulb seemed to have gone off in his head. “Thanks, Professor! See you later!”

Harry took off towards the castle, followed by Ron and Hermione. Whatever Harry had thought of, Remus hoped it would work. It might still be a month until the second task, but Harry would need all the time he could get to prepare if it was going to be anything like the first task. 

Over the following weeks, professors and students got back into the swing of the term and began increasing the course load in their classes. Remus’s students were eternally grateful that he refrained from assigning essays or homework, choosing to focus on practical application instead. With his fourth years, they had finally begun offensive spells after completing their defensive curriculum the previous term. Some of his students were a little too excited at the prospect of learning offensive spells, however, prompting Remus to add cushioning charms around the classroom after one too many overly enthusiastic _flipendo_ spells. 

The impending second task loomed over the castle as February progressed. The excitement and anticipation that had been present for the first task reignited as the second task grew ever closer. Remus, on the other hand, was dreading the upcoming event. They were still no closer to finding the culprit for Harry’s entrance into the tournament, which equally frustrated and worried Remus. Another task meant another opportunity for the person responsible to harm Harry. 

As Remus dismissed his fifth years one afternoon, an owl arrived from Dumbledore asking him to meet in his office that evening. Though the note said nothing of the nature of the meeting, Remus nevertheless made his way to Dumbledore’s office later that night. 

“Good evening, Remus,” Dumbledore called from his desk. “Sit down.”

“I wanted to discuss the tournament, specifically Harry’s involvement in it,” Dumbledore explained. “Sirius said that you talked about some theories on potential suspects and motives?”

“We did,” It was news to Remus that Sirius and Dumbledore were in contact, but he didn’t question the matter. “Sirius was concerned that Karkaroff entered Harry’s name, but I wasn’t so sure. I don’t know what his motives would be to do so.” 

“I do not believe that Igor placed Harry’s name into the goblet,” Dumbledore agreed. “I believe he has more knowledge of the circumstances than he is willing to share with me, but I do not believe he knows who did enter Harry.” 

“When Sirius and I talked, we were worried,” Remus paused. “We were worried that Peter had somehow managed to return to the castle. We already know that he returned to Voldemort - he might have told Peter to enter Harry into the tournament.”

“I understand your concern, but you need not worry about him returning to Hogwarts,” Dumbledore began. “After he escaped, I took the liberty of placing detection enchantments around the castle and its grounds. If he returned, I would know immediately.”

“That’s good,” Remus breathed a sigh of relief that Peter hadn’t gotten close to Harry again. But unease quickly resettled in his stomach when he remembered that they were still without any solid leads. “But if it wasn’t him, then who else could it have been?” 

“I’m afraid I do not yet have an answer to that, Remus,” Dumbledore said solemnly. “They will be working for Voldemort, I have no doubt. Many of Voldemort’s followers are either dead or imprisoned in Azkaban but enough remain, hidden and loyal, I am sure of it.” 

“How does that help us figure out who entered Harry into the tournament?” Remus asked. 

“Lord Voldemort is cunning and clever. He will have an elaborate plan to get to Harry,” Dumbledore replied. “But the culprit is merely a facilitator of his plan. They are vulnerable to error, even if we have not yet found them. If we can find those mistakes, we can find the culprit.” 

“So we should base our strategy of finding the culprit on the hopes they slip up?” Remus asked incredulously. 

“We will find the person responsible by studying them closely,” Dumbledore corrected. “We watch for suspicious activity and anything that might lead us to the person’s identity.” 

“The next task is especially important,” Dumbledore continued. “The culprit will almost certainly be there, as it presents another opportunity for them to harm Harry. I need you to keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious. I don’t know if the culprit will try to hurt Harry, but we need to be prepared to act in case they do.” 

“Of course, sir,” Remus said. 

Dumbledore paused and looked at Remus with those piercing blue eyes. He studied him for a moment before speaking. 

“How are you, Remus?” Dumbledore asked. 

“I’m fine,” Dumbledore looked at him sternly, forcing him to amend his answer. “I’m worried about Harry. I can’t bear the thought of something bad happening to him.” 

“Our deepest fears are that harm could come to those closest to us,” Dumbledore said. “You are a deeply caring person, Remus. I understand why you are worried for Harry. He is fortunate to have you in his life.” 

“He would be more fortunate if I could have protected him more,” Remus said quietly. “If he hadn’t been entered into the tournament, if Peter hadn’t escaped, if I’d done more during the war then…” His voice caught in his throat. “Then James and Lily might still be alive.” 

“Remus,” Dumbledore said firmly. “Guilt is a powerful emotion, but what happened was not your fault. Do not blame yourself for events that were out of your control. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Remus nodded. He didn’t entirely believe what the headmaster had said, but the words were a comfort nonetheless. 

“You’re a good man, Remus. Remember that,” Dumbledore offered him a small smile. 

“Well, I won’t keep you up any later. Good night, Remus,” Dumbledore said. 

“Good night, Professor,” Remus replied as he stood and left the office. 

Remus made his way towards the Grand Staircase to his own office. As he ascended the stairs, he heard some commotion, what sounded like an argument. He reached a landing and saw Mad-Eye, Filch, and Snape stood on the stairs, arguing with one another. 

“Dumbledore happens to trust me,” Snape said. “I refuse to believe that he gave you orders to search my office!”

“‘Course Dumbledore trusts you,” Mad-Eye countered. “He’s a trusting man, isn’t he? Believes in second chances. But me? I say there are spots that don’t come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, do you know what I mean?”

Snape grabbed his left arm and looked daggers at Mad-Eye, oblivious to Remus walking towards them. 

“Having a late-night get-together, are we?” Remus joked as he approached the three men. 

“Stay out of it, Lupin,” Snape growled. 

“It’s alright, Lupin,” Mad-Eye said. “Snape’s just been telling us about how his office has been broken into. What a mystery, isn’t it?” 

“What are you doing wandering around at this hour anyway, Lupin?” Snape ignored Mad-Eye and turned his attention to Remus. “Off to see an old friend?”

The not-so-subtle reference to Sirius was not lost on Remus, but he did not rise to the bait. 

“I had a meeting with Dumbledore,” Remus replied. “I was walking back to my office and I saw the three of you. Not a crime, is it?” 

“No, it is not,” Mad-Eye said. “We’re done here. Get back to bed, Snape.”

“You don’t have the authority to send me anywhere!” Snape snarled. “I have as much right to prowl this school after dark as you do!”

“Prowl away,” Mad-Eye replied. “I look forward to meeting you in a dark corridor some time. You dropped something by the way.” 

Mad-Eye pointed to a piece of parchment on the steps and Remus felt his heart skip a beat. _Shit_. It was the Marauder’s Map. Snape’s eyes widened and stared straight at Remus. He tried to quickly think of a way to explain it when the ex-Auror paused briefly, looking at an empty spot on the staircase. 

“My mistake,” Mad-Eye summoned the parchment just as Snape lept towards to grab it. “It’s mine, I must have dropped it earlier.” 

At that moment, Remus realized that Filch was holding one of the champion’s golden eggs. That, along with the map, meant Harry was there somewhere. And Snape knew that as well. 

“Potter!” Snape growled. “That egg and piece of parchment belong to Potter! Potter is here, in his Invisibility Cloak!”

“Where is he!?” Snape shouted at Remus, almost frothing at the mouth at the thought of catching Harry out of bed. 

“I’ve no idea,” Remus said calmly. 

“You know damn well,” Snape seethed with rage but Mad-Eye interrupted him. 

“How should Lupin know where Potter is?” Mad-Eye asked. “Potter’ll be in his dormitory this time of night.”

“The egg-” Snape began.

“Was stolen by Peeves, as Filch said,” Mad-Eye cut him off. 

“Yes! I found it after he dropped it,” Filch said triumphantly. “He’ll surely be thrown out of the castle for this, stealing student property. I finally have my proof… Dumbledore will have to listen to me this time…”

“Besides,” Mad-Eye said menacingly. “I should be very glad to tell Dumbledore how quickly your mind turned to Harry Potter.”

“Meaning what?” Snape asked. 

“Meaning that Dumbledore is very interested in knowing who has it out for that boy,” Mad-Eye said. “And so am I, Snape.” 

It was three against one. Filch occupied with his crusade against Peeves and Remus and Mad-Eye defending Harry. Snape had no choice but to concede defeat.

“I merely thought that if Potter was wandering around after hours again, he should be stopped,” Snape said. “For his own safety.”

“Ah, I see,” Mad-Eye replied. “Got Potter’s best interests at heart, have you?” 

After throwing another glare at Mad-Eye and Remus, Snape strode down the stairs and disappeared down a corridor. Mad-Eye had to wrestle the egg from Filch, who wanted it as evidence for Peeves’ treachery, but he too skulked down the corridor followed by Mrs. Norris. 

“Close shave, Potter,” Mad-Eye muttered. Remus realized that he could see under invisibility cloaks and could likely see Harry from wherever he was hidden. 

“Where are you, Harry?” Remus asked. Harry pulled the cloak off himself, sitting on the stairs near them. “Why are you still here with Filch and Snape around?”

“I fell in the step,” Harry indicated to his trapped leg. Remus offered his hand and pulled Harry out of the trick step. 

“What is this?” Mad-Eye waved the map. 

“It’s…” Harry gave a frantic look to Remus, asking if he should tell him. Remus gave a slight nod. “It’s a map of Hogwarts.” 

“This is some map, Potter!” Mad-Eye said a tad gleefully while scanning over the map. 

“Yeah, it is,” Harry gave a nervous laugh. He and Remus both hoped that Mad-Eye wouldn’t ask where it had come from, or else they would have some real explaining to do. 

“You didn’t happen to see who broke into Snape’s office, did you, Potter?” Mad-Eye asked, still scanning the map with his magical eye. 

“Yeah, I did,” Harry said. “It was Mr. Crouch.” 

“Barty Crouch?” Remus asked. Harry nodded. Mad-Eye went very still and seemed alarmed at the mention of the name. 

“You’re sure Potter?” Mad-Eye asked. Harry nodded again. 

“Well,” Mad-Eye cleared his throat. “He’s not here anymore. Crouch, that’s… that’s interesting.”

“Why do you think Crouch was in Snape’s office?” Harry asked. 

“Put it this way, Potter,” Mad-Eye said in a low voice. “They say old Mad-Eye’s obsessed with catching dark wizards? I’m nothing compared to Barty Crouch.”

“So, Mr. Crouch thinks something’s going on?” Harry asked. 

“Very possible,” Mad-Eye replied, not quite listening as he continued to stare in awe at the map in his hands. 

“And now I have a question for you, Potter,” Mad-Eye said. Remus worried for a moment that he was about to ask where Harry had gotten the map or worse who had made it. “Can I borrow this?” 

“Uh,” Harry glanced at Remus, not sure if he was allowed to give it away. Harry didn’t need his permission, as the map belonged to him now, but Remus nodded anyway. “Yeah, okay.”

“Good,” Mad-Eye said. “I can make good use of this, Potter.”

“Right, I’ll be off then,” Mad-Eye handed the egg back to Harry and began to limp down the stairs. “Night Lupin, Potter.”

“Let’s get you back to Gryffindor Tower,” Remus said as they ascended the stairs. “What were you doing out of bed at this time anyway?”

“I was figuring out the clue,” Harry replied. 

“And did you figure it out?” Remus asked. 

“Mostly,” Harry said. “I got the clue, but I still need to figure out what I’m going to do for the task.” 

“You’ll figure it out, I’m sure,” Remus encouraged. He might have been able to suggest ways to figure out the clue to Harry, but telling him how to do the task would certainly be overstepping the mark. “There’s still two weeks before the task yet.” 

“Yeah, that’s true,” Harry said. “What did Moody mean about dark wizards? And why was Crouch at Hogwarts if he’s ill?” 

“He was an Auror for many years. He's a strong opponent of dark magic,” Remus explained. “Crouch as well. He used to work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Many of the prisoners in Azkaban are locked up because of them." 

"But as for why he was here tonight, I don't know,” Remus continued. “It doesn’t make sense if he’s ill that he would be taking late-night trips to Hogwarts to search Snape’s office.” 

Crouch hadn’t been seen for months due to a mysterious illness, so it was strange that he should sneak into Hogwarts late at night for the sole purpose of breaking into Snape’s office. Why him? He was a former Death Eater, yes, but it would make more sense for Crouch to be investigating someone like Karkaroff rather than Snape. More importantly, why wouldn’t he tell Dumbledore about any of this? 

“Let’s try not to make these midnight escapades a yearly occurrence, shall we?” Remus said as they reached the Fat Lady’s portrait. 

“Sorry,” Harry laughed. “Thanks for that by the way.”

“No problem,” Remus said. “Good night, Harry.”

“Night, Professor,” Harry said as he climbed into the portrait hole. 

As he returned to his office, Remus didn’t understand what Barty Crouch had to do with all this. He had practically disappeared from work, directing Percy Weasley to carry out most of his duties. It just didn’t make any sense that he should be wandering around Hogwarts in the dead of night. Remus couldn’t find any reasonable explanation for the man’s actions. Try as he might, they only led to more questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit of a filler if you couldn’t tell. I had a kinda stressful week so I didn’t have as much time to revise it (which is also why this chapter came out later today, as I was trying to tweak it before I uploaded it). I did enjoy writing about Hagrid and Remus though so I hope you liked that part. The next chapter is more interesting than this one, I promise haha.  
> I also want to wish a very happy early birthday to Remus John Lupin who is absolutely alive and well and turning 61 this year (do you hear that? it’s the sound of my denial of canon). Remus is quite literally my favorite character ever, I love him so much and even though he is very much fictional, I wish him all the best on his birthday.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter (even though nothing terribly interesting happened in it)! Thank you again so much for all the love you show this fic! I hope you all have a wonderful day and stay safe!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a little reminder for something that comes up in this chapter - Remus doesn’t know what a Dark Mark tattoo is at this point. I’m not sure why the Order didn’t seem to know what they were, even during the war, but in the Goblet of Fire book, Sirius doesn’t know what it is so that’s how I’m writing Remus as well.

“Let me know if I’ve gotten this right,” Remus said. “The champions each have to rescue a person, _an actual person_ , from the bottom of the Black Lake in the span of an hour?”

“That’s correct,” McGonagall replied. “Don’t look at me like that, Remus. I’ve no control over the objective of the tasks, that’s the decision of the Ministry.”

“It’s insane!” Remus exclaimed. “There’s the Squid, Grindylows, and who knows what else in there!” 

“I agree with you,” McGonagall said. “It’s extraordinarily dangerous. Why the Ministry believed this to be an appropriate task is beyond me.”

The two professors were walking down to the edge of the lake where boats awaited to take spectators to the viewing platforms. McGonagall had decided to take pity on Remus and tell him what the second task would consist of after fifteen minutes of pacing back and forth in the staff room that morning. He hadn’t been pleased, to say the least. 

Remus and McGonagall climbed into one of the boats and arrived at the platforms after a few minutes. Dumbledore, the other judges, and some spectators were already waiting and making final preparations for the task. Soon, students began to fill up the platforms as they crossed the lake and eagerly anticipated the start of the second task. 

“How will anyone know what’s happening during the task?” Remus asked. The lake was dark and murky, it was impossible to see even a few feet down into it. 

“We won’t,” McGonagall replied. “The Merpeople will inform Dumbledore should something happen, but otherwise we must simply wait until the hour is up.” 

“Great,” Remus muttered sarcastically. The task was ringing all of his alarm bells - not being able to see what was happening, no being able to communicate, and Harry having to go into a lake full of all kinds of unfavorable creatures. It was the perfect opportunity for an “accident” to happen. 

Fleur was the first of the champions to arrive, followed by Krum and Cedric. Harry was the last to arrive, coming from one of the boats with Neville. Remus saw Neville slip something into Harry’s hand as they made their way towards the judges and other champions. 

“You ready, Harry?” Remus asked. 

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” Harry said. 

“Do you know what you’re going to do?” Harry nodded and showed him a plant in his hand, which Remus recognized as gillyweed. 

“Good idea,” Remus said. “You’ll need to eat that right before you go in, not any sooner.” 

Harry scrunched his nose slightly at the thought of having to swallow the slimy plant. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” Remus reassured. “Just stay calm and keep focused.”

“Right,” Harry said nervously. 

Their attention was then drawn to Dumbledore announcing that the task would begin in a few moments. Each champion lined up at the edge of the platform and readied themselves to jump into the lake. 

“Welcome to the second task!” Dumbledore’s voice boomed. “Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts.”

“These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the Black Lake,” Dumbledore explained. “In order to win, each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface within one hour.” 

“Now, Harry,” Remus said. Harry put the gillyweed in his mouth and nearly spat it out. “You need to swallow it.” 

With a great deal of effort, Harry swallowed it and grimaced. He began coughing and scratching at his neck, the plant starting to take its effect. 

“You may begin at the sound of the cannon,” The cannon blasted and Fleur, Cedric, and Krum dived in immediately. Harry, on the other hand, tripped into the water rather ungracefully. 

Remus leaned over the railing in an attempt to see if Harry was okay. Nothing happened for a few moments and he could hear Seamus, Dean, and Neville wondering what was happening aloud. Neville, a tad melodramatically, cried that he had killed Harry Potter when Harry leaped out of the water, flipped, and dived back in again. It received hearty applause and cheers from the spectators and even Remus couldn’t stop a grin coming across his face. 

Minutes passed and people stopped leaning over the railings and staring into the lake in the hopes of seeing something, instead turning to each other and chatting while they waited for the hour to pass. Remus, however, continued to stare hard at the water though he could see nothing through it. A heavy pit had formed in his stomach and he felt that this task was almost worse than the last. At least in the last one, he could see what was happening. In this task, he had absolutely no idea of what was happening. All sorts of horrible images of Harry drowning or being attacked by Grindylows filled his head as he stared into the abyss of the Black Lake. 

After a few minutes, Remus turned his attention from the lake onto the people on the platforms. Heeding Dumbledore’s words, he watched for anyone out of place or suspicious. However, the crowd was mostly comprised of students, staff, and a few Ministry officials. Not anyone who might have entered Harry into the tournament. Though there was one person notably missing - Barty Crouch. His assistant, Percy Weasley, was there in his place and explained once again that Crouch was in bad health and working from home. But the revelation that Crouch had been sneaking around Hogwarts in the dead of night only a few weeks prior made Remus wonder whether that was true and if not why he would lie and disappear from his job. Remus had some suspicions that Crouch could be attempting to apprehend the culprit himself in the hopes to regain respect or even his job from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. But that still wouldn’t explain why Crouch hadn’t been seen in weeks, not even by Dumbledore. 

Near the halfway mark, movement beneath the surface of the water recaptured everyone’s attention. Fleur Delacour emerged from underwater and made her way back to the platform. She didn’t have her sister with her, meaning that she must have been disqualified in some way. 

“The Beauxbatons champion, Miss Delacour, had unfortunately been forced to retire,” Dumbledore announced. “She will take no further part in this task.” 

Fleur returned to the huddle of Beauxbatons students and was covered with a mountain of towels as she sat on a bench looking anxiously out towards the lake. Remus returned his focus to the lake, wondering how Harry was faring in the task, and only vaguely noticed Mad-Eye coming up next to him. 

“Got snatched by some Grindylows apparently,” Mad-Eye said about Fleur. “Unfortunate.” 

“Hmm,” Remus nodded, the news making him all the more anxious. If an accomplished seventeen-year-old witch could be snatched by the Grindylows, what would that mean for Harry? 

“Potter’ll be fine,” Mad-Eye said. “He’s smart. He’ll have no problem completing the task.” 

“I know,” Remus replied. “But I’ll still breathe easy when he’s back on dry land.” 

“Potter’s map, you know where he got it from?” Mad-Eye asked, deviating from their discussion of the second task. Remus tried not to show any outward hesitation or panic before he answered. 

“I think the Weasley twins gave it to him,” Remus answered with a half-truth. He didn’t mention the fact that he was one of the ones who had made it in the first place. 

“Dead useful, it is,” Mad-Eye continued. 

“I’m sure,” Remus replied. 

“Bunch of troublemakers probably made it,” Mad-Eye said. “Calling it the Marauder’s Map. Had some odd nicknames on it too, so it couldn’t be traced back to them.”

Remus felt his brain short-circuit for a moment. He had forgotten when Harry had given Mad-Eye the map that it had their old nicknames on it. Which Mad-Eye should surely have recognized, as the four of them had called each other by their nicknames almost exclusively back then. Didn’t Mad-Eye remember that? Was he really that far gone that he didn’t remember nicknames like Moony or Prongs? 

“Yeah,” Remus said slowly. “Something like that, I guess.”

Mad-Eye limped off to the other side of the platform, leaving him to wonder what the hell had just happened. There was no way Mad-Eye could have forgotten that Remus, the man he was standing only a foot away from, had also been called Moony. But it was obvious that he had forgotten, so what did that mean? 

As it neared the final minutes before the end of the hour, attention had once again returned to the lake and the spectators and judges awaited the first of the champions to reach the surface. Cedric was the first to come up, applauded heavily by Hogwarts students. Krum was next to surface, followed by an uproar of cheers by Durmstrang students. But there was still no sign of Harry. Remus scanned the water for any sign of him, but it was impossible to see anything. 

Finally, two figures came to the surface, but they were Ron and Fleur’s little sister. The two swam back to the platform, but Harry was still nowhere to be seen. Remus began to feel himself panic, but at that moment Harry shot out of the water and landed on the platform. 

“Harry! Harry, are you okay?” Remus asked frantically. Harry was coughing and spluttering but was otherwise unharmed. Remus quickly summoned a towel, placed a heating charm on it, and wrapped it around Harry’s shoulders. Harry was soon surrounded by his friends burying him under a mountain of towels and congratulating him. Even Fleur came up to him to thank him for rescuing her little sister, kissing him on each cheek. 

“Are you alright? You must be freezing!” Hermione gave Harry yet another towel as she fretted over him. “Personally, I think you behaved admirably.” 

“I finished last, Hermione,” Harry said. 

“Next to last,” Hermione corrected. “Fleur never got past _ze Grindylows_.” 

“Attention,” Dumbledore called out, but he was not heard over the chants and cheers of the crowd. “Attention!”

The crowd quieted down immediately and waited with bated breath to see who the winner would be. 

“The winner is - Mr. Diggory!” Deafening cheers erupted from the crowd as they celebrated Cedric’s win. “Who showed unique command of the Bubble Head Charm.”

“However, seeing as Mr. Potter would have finished first, had it not been for his determination to rescue not only Mr. Weasley but the others as well,” Dumbledore continued. “We’ve agreed to award him second place for outstanding moral fiber!” 

Harry’s mouth dropped while those around him gave him thunderous applause. The Hogwarts students were ecstatic, as both of their champions were in first and second place. Karkaroff looked particularly angry and stormed off while muttering foreign swears and curses under his breath. Mr. Bagman waved for the champions to gather around once all the results had been announced.

“Congratulations champions on completing the second task!” Bagman said. “You all performed marvelously. Now, the third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. You will be notified of what is to come one month beforehand. Congratulations again and good luck!”

“Well done, Harry,” Remus praised. “You did a spectacular job.” 

“I was being stupid,” Harry said. “I didn’t realize the others would be fine, even if they weren’t rescued.” 

“It wasn’t stupid, you did the right thing,” Remus said. 

When they returned to shore, Remus made sure that Harry went straight to Madam Pomfrey as he had spent an hour in that freezing cold lake and even with a stack of towels he was shivering. Madam Pomfrey was particularly enraged by the task, angrily muttering while she attended to the champions about the ridiculousness of it and the risks of hypothermia. Nevertheless, Harry was back on his feet, warm and healthy, within a few hours. 

The days that followed the task were rife with tales and speculation about what had happened during the task. Students asked the champions and their rescuees about what it was like and what they did during it. Some, like Cedric, told their story as it had happened, while others didn’t wish to discuss it, like Krum or Hermione. Though there was one person in particular who greatly enjoyed embellishing his story, much to the delight of his listeners. 

“So I fought them as hard as I could,” Ron said dramatically one day right before their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. “But there were fifty of them around me. I managed to fight about twenty of them before they tied me up.”

“Oh my!” Padma gasped. “That’s awful!”

“But I had my wand hidden up my sleeve,” Ron continued. “I could’ve taken those mer-idiots any time I wanted.”

Remus smirked slightly. If Ron wanted to share some of the spotlight, he wasn’t about to correct him and rain on his parade. Hermione, however, didn’t seem to share this sentiment, having heard this dramatic retelling several times already. She rolled her eyes and turned around in her seat to face Ron. 

“What were you going to do, snore at them?” Hermione asked sarcastically. Ron’s face went red and he immediately shut up and began sheepishly taking his books out of his bag. 

“If we’re finished talking about the second task?” Remus asked the class and they immediately quieted down. “Then we can start the lesson for today.”

“Today we will be practicing the Stunning Spell,” Remus said. “ _Stupefy_ is one of the, if not the most, useful offensive spells you can use. It renders one’s opponent unconscious and can end a duel quickly.”

“However, it is also a dangerous spell,” Remus continued. “If used multiple times or too forcefully, it can seriously harm someone. Which is why we will be using targets to practice today and not each other.” 

His students stood and eagerly waited as Remus sent their desks to the back of the classroom to allow room for practice. Remus summoned the targets and placed them at spaced intervals, to prevent any misfirings from hitting fellow students. He demonstrated the hand movement and casting of the spell to the class before allowing them to begin practicing. 

As it was one of the more advanced and powerful spells the fourth years had practiced, it took a while before anyone was able to cast it successfully. Hermione, as usual, was the first to cast it. After her example, soon the other students began casting it. For the first time practicing a spell, their efforts were very good, if only a little inconsistent. 

By the end of the lesson, everyone had managed to cast _stupefy_ at least once, an incredibly impressive feat. Remus was grateful that no mishaps had occurred during class, as a bunch of fourteen and fifteen-year-olds casting the Stunning Spell for the first time is almost certainly a breeding ground for trouble. While he would normally tell his students to practice their spells for homework, Remus asked them not to practice _stupefy_ outside of class for the time being (until they could properly use and control the spell). The last thing he wanted was one of them to end up in the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey throttle him for allowing it. 

As his fourth years were his last class for that day, Remus returned to his office to mark some papers after he dismissed his students. While it was only the beginning of March, his fifth and seventh-year students were quickly approaching their O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. examinations. They would need to review everything they had learned to that point and ready themselves to take the tests. While he usually refrained from assigning written homework, as students didn’t enjoy it and usually ended up completing it at the last minute, in these cases he had given his students a few essays to write. The examinations consisted of both practical and written components, meaning that his students needed to know how to coherently explain spells, creatures, and concepts. As he finished looking at the essays from his fifth years, the door to his office burst open to reveal Harry. 

“What’s wrong?” Remus asked quickly. 

“You won’t believe what I’ve just heard,” Harry panted, clearly having run to Remus’s office. 

“What happened?” Remus asked. 

“I was in Potions and Karkaroff came in to see Snape,” Harry paused to catch his breath. “He said that they needed to talk but Snape wouldn’t until after class. I spilled some of my potion so I could stay behind and listen and Karkaroff showed Snape something on his arm. He said whatever it was had never been clearer but Snape just told him to put it away.”

“Did you get a look at his arm?” Remus asked. 

“No, I was under the table so I couldn’t see it clearly,” Harry replied. “Then Snape saw me so I had to run before he could give me detention.” 

“Did they say anything else?” Remus asked. 

“No, that was it,” Harry said. “Karkaroff said that Snape had been avoiding him though. What would Karkaroff want with Snape?”

“I’m not sure,” Remus said. He hesitated to tell Harry about Snape’s past as a Death Eater, as it would do little but worsen Harry’s hatred of the potions professor. But that also made it all the more difficult to explain Snape’s connection to Karkaroff. “I told you at Christmas that I believe they’ve known each other for a while. I don’t know what Karkaroff was confiding in Snape about, but it must be serious if he is as worried as you say he was.” 

“How did Snape respond to Karkaroff? Was he worried as well?” Remus asked. 

“No, just the opposite,” Harry replied. “Snape was angry. I mean to be fair he’s always angry but he was properly angry at Karkaroff. He kept trying to get him to leave but Karkaroff wouldn’t budge and he basically cornered him after class. He didn’t get much of a chance to talk to him though, Snape was already in a right mood…” 

“How so?” Remus asked. 

“He accused me of stealing potion ingredients,” Harry explained. “He thinks I was the one to break into his office a few weeks ago. He threatened me with Veritaserum to find out but I told him I haven’t been anywhere near his office.” 

“He threatened you with Veritaserum?” Harry nodded. Remus felt a flicker of anger flare in his chest. How vindictive do you have to be to threaten a fourteen-year-old with a truth potion? 

“I haven’t stolen anything from him so that wouldn’t be a problem,” Harry said. “But if he asked about Sirius…” 

“He won’t. He’s not going to give it to you at all, not on my watch,” Remus assured. “Did he say what had been stolen?” 

“Boomslang skin, gillyweed, and lacewing flies,” Harry replied. “I know Neville took the gillyweed, but I don’t know who took the other stuff.”

Boomslang skin and lacewing flies were two of the main ingredients needed for Polyjuice Potion. It could be a student that had stolen them - Remus knew that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had brewed it in their second year. The Marauders had also brewed it once for one of their pranks. But if someone was brewing Polyjuice Potion, the question was what they were brewing it for. 

“Do you think Crouch took them? He was in Snape’s office that night,” Harry said. 

“It’s possible,” Remus replied. “But there would be easier ways for Crouch to get those ingredients without needing to break into the potions storerooms in the middle of the night. I don’t imagine that would’ve been his primary motivation for searching Snape’s office.” 

“Have you heard anything more about Crouch?” Harry asked. 

“No, I haven’t,” Remus replied. “He hasn’t been seen for a few months now, besides the night you saw his name on the map. The only communications anyone has had with him since the tournament began have been through Percy.” 

“Yeah, he told me at Christmas that he’d been promoted to Crouch’s personal assistant,” Harry said. “Ron reckons he’s thrilled with that, basically doing Crouch’s job for him.” 

“He’s ambitious,” Remus conceded. He wouldn’t want to criticize his former student, but Percy could be rather pompous at times. 

“You could ask Ron to write to Percy and see if he knows anything more about Crouch,” Remus suggested. 

“Yeah, sure,” Harry nodded. 

“Speaking of Crouch, has Mad-Eye finished with the map yet?” Harry asked. “Only it’s been a few weeks and I wanted it back.” 

“Have you asked him?” Harry shook his head. “Why not?” 

“He’s a little, uh, intimidating,” Harry replied. 

“I know what you mean,” Remus laughed lightly. “I can ask him if you’d like?” 

“Yeah, thanks,” Harry said relieved. 

“No problem,” Remus said. “Just do me a favor, try not to put yourself in unnecessary danger in the future.”

“How’s listening in on Snape and Karkaroff dangerous?” Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. 

“It has more to do with Karkaroff than Snape,” Remus said. “It might not have been Karkaroff who entered your name, but until we know who did I don’t want him near you. Stay with-”

“Ron and Hermione, I know,” Harry interrupted. “Sirius keeps telling me the same thing.” 

“Perhaps because it’s good advice?” Remus smiled softly. “Have you spoken with him?”

“Yeah, he’s been sending some letters,” Harry replied, then scoffed. “You should tell him to not put himself in ‘unnecessary danger.’ He wants to meet in Hogsmeade this weekend. I told him not to come back to Hogwarts, but he wouldn’t listen.” 

“He wants to make sure you’re safe,” Remus said. He didn’t exactly approve of Sirius’s actions any more than Harry did, but he understood his motives. 

“Do you think I should go?” Harry asked. 

“As long as you’re going with Ron and Hermione, then yes,” Remus replied. 

“Alright,” Harry shrugged. “Should I tell Sirius about what Karkaroff said?” 

“He’ll want to know about it,” Remus said. “And he might have some more insight on the conversation.” 

“I just don’t want him flying off the handle at Snape,” Harry said. “I don’t want him to get shot back in Azkaban.” 

“He won’t. He’s reckless, but not that reckless,” Remus smiled slightly. “You only need to avoid telling him about the Veritaserum comment. Though I will be talking to Snape about that.” 

“Please don’t,” Harry groaned. “He’ll be even more pissed if he knows I told you. Just leave it.” 

“Fine,” Remus said reluctantly. He didn’t want to let Snape get away with a threat like that, but he also didn’t want Harry to get the brunt of Snape’s rage if he confronted him. “I’ll talk with Mad-Eye over the weekend. I can’t promise he’ll give the map back just yet, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks,” Harry smiled. 

“You should probably head off to dinner, it’s nearly time,” Remus said after glancing at the clock in his office. 

“See you later, Professor,” Harry waved. “I’ll say hi to Sirius for you.”

Harry’s departure left Remus alone with his thoughts. Karkaroff was panicking and if a hardened Death Eater was panicking about something, it wasn’t good. Remus hadn’t the faintest idea what might have been on his arm that had him so worried. Though, to be fair, the Order had known so little about their opponents. They didn’t even know who all of the Death Eaters were, apart from notable ones such as the Lestranges or the Malfoys. Remus hadn’t even known Snape was a Death Eater until Dumbledore told him. 

But Death Eaters weren’t the only thing Remus was concerned with. More startling was the revelation that someone had been stealing ingredients for Polyjuice Potion. It was possible that a student had simply stolen them for a prank or something similarly innocuous, but he wasn’t sure. It seemed too much of a coincidence that a mysterious culprit should manage to escape detection for months and then for Polyjuice Potion ingredients to be stolen. It wasn’t certain that the culprit was even still at Hogwarts, Remus knew that. But if they were then it was possible that there was a traitor in their midst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I don’t really have much to say about this chapter, other than it was fun to write and I hope it was fun to read. I’m starting to get to the place in the fic where I’m worried about spoiling stuff so I’m going to stop before I ruin my own fic haha. I can say that Sirius will return in the next chapter though, so look forward to that!   
> On a slightly different note, would anyone be interested in me posting a Spotify playlist for Remus? I made one that I listen to when I write and I wanted to know if anyone would be interested in listening to it as well? I don't know much about music genres but it's mostly folk, indie, alternative, and/or instrumental type songs if that makes sense. So yeah if you're interested, just let me know and I'll send out a link!   
> As always thank you so much for all reading this fic and giving it kudos and comments - they really make me so happy and they motivate me to continue writing! I hope you all have an amazing day and stay safe!


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